The Heart Within
by YFate
Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… IY/YYH crossover interwoven in the YYH Three King's Saga, Sango X Hiei X Kurama
1. Chapter 1

THE HEART WITHIN

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: This is my first venture into a crossover fic. I was inspired by watching amv's of Kurama and Hiei, and went hunting YYH videos. Boy did that start my plot bunnies hopping…hope you like, and let me know if anyone is too out of character--I'm still exploring the "yuyuverse" and any critique is welcome. Thanks, Fate_

WORD DEFINITIONS

Chirugeon - surgeon, what is known as a "bone" doctor

_Prologue_

The demonic energy that surrounded the chirugeon's home in a sullen haze reminded her faintly of the dark miasma that had always surrounded Naraku's castle. Lightning pierced the sky, flashing across her blurry vision, as the wind circled with a hiss through the trees that surrounded the demon's lair. Leaves torn from the swaying branches scattered around her as she stumbled on, out from under the trees. The heavy weight of her Hiraikotsu dragged at her shoulders as her arms tightened around the swaddled urn she held to her breast. Everything about her spoke of defeat, from the dried blood on her tattered black armor to the weary stumble of her steps, but her eyes--her eyes held a fierce determination almost ugly in its single-minded intensity as she drove herself on across the scant clearing and up the stone steps to his door.

Knocking with the butt of a drawn dagger, the sounds boomed out with the hollowness of a death knell as she waited. She instinctively drew back when the door swept open, the hinges protesting with a loud squeal as she was suddenly confronted by the demon she had come seeking.

"A human?" He seemed surprised by that, but amused, his dark eyes glinting as he stared down at her with a smirk. He wore a human's face, but the aura she felt from him was both powerful and demonic. He wore his iron-grey hair swept up and tied back in a long tail and his body was swathed in a sleeveless kimono of sky blue with scarlet edging. Three gold rings pierced his jaw on the left, a wider one with a broken chain hanging off of it on the right. Another was set into his right temple, a second chain dangling from it.

"Are you Shigure?" she asked, her voice scratchy from abuse as her knuckles whitened around the awkward bundle she held.

"I am," he replied with all the arrogance of the typical demon male. "Who asks?"

"My name is Sango, and I have come seeking your services as a surgeon." Her voice was calm, as if she spoke of nothing more than the weather.

He laughed, breaking the tense silence with the mockery of it. His fangs gleamed as he grinned down at her. "You? A human woman? Come seeking me, a demon doctor? For what?"

"For this," she said, eyes narrowing dangerously as she tore the covering from the urn held in the curl of her left arm. A reddish glow rose up from the exposed jar, and the bloody flesh inside shuddered with a distinctive, rhythmic beat.

"A demon heart?" A thin brow rose and he looked slightly intrigued.

"This heart belonged to a wind youkai who was created by another I seek to kill. Kagura is dead now, but he separated her heart from her body long before he killed her. Naraku has escaped to the demon world and taken my brother with him. I cannot follow, as a human, and I have vowed my vengeance, by any means necessary. I knew a girl--she told me of heart transplants that had been done on humans, by doctors skilled in the way of such things. I want this heart implanted inside me so that I can find my brother and kill Naraku. I know I cannot live much longer with the wounds I have sustained in the last battle, but everyone I know and loved has been taken from me by that bastard, and I will _have_ my revenge." The look in her eyes was wild, almost crazed, and there was a wealth of pain and horror in her whispered snarl. It piqued his interest, and he tapped a forefinger to his pursed lips as he leaned against the door jam with a thoughtful look in his eye.

"A truly intriguing reason, I must admit, and the thought of experimenting on a willing human has some merit of its own. Come inside, then, Sango, and tell me more of your story. If it proves worthy to hold my interest, than I will consider taking you up on your challenge." He stood back to allow her entrance, and she stepped unhesitatingly across the threshold, the red glow of the beating heart held in her arms bathing her pale face with a bloody light of resolution.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Examining the neat row of precise tools in front of him, Shigure selected the one he wanted with a slight smile. Testing the tip of the razor-sharp scalpel, he turned to stare down at the half-naked girl who lay strapped to the wooden table with a rather fond look. "You know, this is proving almost too delightful. A willing patient, a taiji-ya even, who seeks the aid of a demon to become a demon so that she can go kill yet another one. It's just too deliciously ironic."

Her brown eyes were dark pools of glittering repugnance, but she said nothing, her determination to see this through winning out over her hatred of his kind. That in itself was delightful, as was the thought of her pain to come. Humans felt so keenly--and he didn't know if her fierce determination to live would outlast the agony of the operation that was to come. It would be an interesting experiment. Could she last through the terrible pain or would she succumb to the weakness of her flesh?

So fine a flesh it was--so pale, so delicate and soft. He ran an idle finger down her arm, savoring the feel of it, and she grit her teeth and turned her head away. Her black hair fanned across her cheek, and he lightly touched her jaw, calling her attention back to him.

"If you survive this, Sango, then you will be like one reborn. That I can promise you. Your survival, however, depends entirely on you."

With those gently acidic words, he plunged the knife into her chest and began his work with meticulous precision and a delicacy and artistry few could appreciate. She was certainly in no position to appreciate it, for like all the rest, she soon succumbed to the pain as her conscious mind folded in upon itself into a crazed world of blood and terror, reaching new heights of agony her innocently human mind had yet to encounter. She had vowed, as they all did, to make no sound, but her screams soon rose to fill his ears with their beautiful music as her sweet little heart and the darker bloody one she chose to supplant it rose in a staccato frenzy of beating desperation as he continued his dark ministrations throughout the long night.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Her recovery was a slow one. There had been many times when he thought she would die, wasting all his energy and effort on what appeared to be a hopeless enterprise. Her frail human body had at first rejected the demon heart that beat inside her scarred chest, and she had succumbed to the prevalent fevers and infection that plagued so many of her kind in these times. Her mind had wandered in maddened nightmares as he left her to fight it out on her own, for not only was there the meshing of another's flesh into hers, there was also the joining of a demon's energy with her own human chi for her to deal with.

It was her will, in the end, that proved the stronger, for she clung to life with a tenacity he had seen in few demons, let alone humans. He watched her, keeping meticulous notes as any good doctor would, of how many times her life's candle had almost been snuffed out until her will had flared the spark of it alight once more, although it flickered feebly for many weeks, and burned low for many more. But it stayed lit, as did the fevered glint of determination in her dark, haunted eyes in the few moments of rare lucidity she had.

She stayed abed for weeks, and stayed as frail and weak as a newborn babe for quite a few more, but there finally came a time when she was able to stand upon her own two feet and walk without stumbling, and eventually, to run without gasping in pain. Once she was up, her recovery grew surprisingly swift, and Shigure attributed it to her new heart, for a demon's blood now pumped through her human veins, and she was what one might consider a hanyou of his own creation. He was fond of her, almost, and thought that if he had ever created anything in this world like a child of his own, it would be her, and so he indulged her slow recovery with a distant, almost paternal pride at his own stunning accomplishment.

He insisted she take her time to recover and regain her strength. It would have been a pure waste to have spent so much of his efforts on her for her to then die at the first attack by a demon or marauding human to cross her path. He was pleased to see her exercise with her weapons, straining each day to grow a little more stronger. He liked her giant boomerang, one made out of nearly indestructible demon-bone, and something she could send spinning out to take down more than one enemy from a distance. He demanded the secrets of its manufacture as the price for his taking care of her after the surgery. She showed him, and he, of course, improved upon it, creating a better weapon for himself in the circular blade of his phosphorous oxen-bone sword.

She would, perhaps, develop some rather unique abilities in time as the demonic heart meshed better with her own human body. She already had a faster pace and quicker recovery than before, and he would have been pleased just to watch the progress of her new potential, but once she had recovered sufficiently enough to survive on her own, she disappeared. His last price sat sour in her stomach, for he had told her that she could not reveal her true self to anyone she had ever known, in past or in the future, for she had told him that two of her friends had escaped that last battle with Naraku through the time-spanning Bone-Eater's Well in the village of the priestess Kaede, and were, perhaps, somehow alive in some distant future. She now had the ability, if she survived, to live centuries, and one day meet them again. She might also, perhaps, save her brother if she was ever able to free him from the hanyou's control.

He liked to give an interesting story an ironic twist at the end, and found the thought incredibly delightful that even if she did kill Naraku, she could never tell him who it was who had, that if she did free her brother, she could never reveal to him who she was, and that if she ever did meet her friends again, this Inuyasha and Kagome, than she could never reveal to them that she was alive. It was a sweet price to savor for his help in securing her chance for revenge, and he would wonder, from time to time, if she would succeed, and if so, what would be hers in the end but an empty vengeance she could never lay claim to.

How sad. And yet so utterly delicious.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

There had been no barrier between the human and demon worlds when first she had gone to Shigure to have Kagura's heart implanted inside her body. By the time she had recovered her strength, and sought to journey through to the other realm, Spirit World had taken a decisive hand in the centuries-long war that had existed between the other two realms and snapped the confining kakai net into place. She was trapped on this side, in the human world, with no way to cross easily over to the other side, though she spent long years searching for one.

She spent that time improving her skill and learning her new abilities by testing them against the opponents she always had. She loathed the demon-kin, seeing Naraku's face in every demon she attacked and killed. She stayed in the shadows, keeping her word to the evil doctor even more than she had promised, revealing her true self to no one. She grew, eventually, to prefer the shadows, as the lonely years of her wandering grew long, and she watched humans she had once known perish to time. The bitter memory of her loss--her beloved houshi and her beloved companion, the fire-neko Kirara, not to mention, her friends, Inuyasha and Kagome, who had disappeared down the well in that last, horrific battle--kept her from ever wanting to feel that loss with another, and so she kept her heart frozen, even when others she knew in light passing over the years made known their wish to allow more. She separated herself even more then, not even wanting the burden of possibility, for her traitorous heart yearned for more than the lonely emptiness she wrapped herself in, protecting herself from the pain and sadness that haunted her every step. In time, she became as cold as the blade she held in her hand, a weapon of thwarted revenge who killed the evil oppressors of this world with a vicious vengeance that was as deadly as it was precise.

Her vengeful shadow became legendary, even to those who were legends themselves, and it was many centuries before they finally found her actual existence to be truth. Over the long years, Spirit World had consolidated their power, and taken their role of defending the human world from the demon one as their standard. With no demons to hinder their growth, the humans flourished and fought among themselves, transforming the remote islands of her birth into a single nation unified with purpose as other human nations expanded their borders and influence across the seas that surrounded them. The SDF, the Spirit Defense Force, grew lax in hiding their true identity with the once-zealous secrecy that they had cloaked themselves in before. Stumbling across the knowledge of their existence had been by mistake, discovering more had been by calculation until she had finally emerged to request audience with King Yama himself, hoping that he would allow her to pass through the kakai barrier once he had heard her story, and finally allow her the vengeance she had so long sought.

But her own shadowy legend, built over the years by her own unceasing vengeance against the youkai who preyed on humans, had proved her own downfall. King Yama, seeing so able a weapon to his hand, would not let her go on such a foolish quest, where she would probably die, and might only provoke the more restless demons of Makai into rebelling more than they were now, even as his armies were pressing further into demon territory, seeking to expand the borders of Reikai control. As an undying human with the heart of a demon and the skills of a taiji-ya honed over centuries into the deadliest strength of both, she was too valuable a weapon not to use, and yet too loose a cannon to let roam free.

So he offered the bait while holding the chain, demanding her acquiescence. She would be added to his own special force, but not as one of the SDF police or Reikai troops, but as what she was so skilled at, the hiding in the shadows until she moved out to make the kill. Part of an elite group of assassins under his direct jurisdiction, her hatred of all things demon would be given official sanction, and her skills used to the Reikai's benefit. The reward for her cooperation? She would be allowed to go to Makai--eventually, one day, perhaps, if she proved herself worthy--to seek out her vengeance against Naraku--a demon none knew of now but as the merest scrap of doubtful legend. In the meantime, he assured her that he would have his own son, the perennial toddler Koenma, seek out any information they could find on the demon's whereabouts in the shadowy depths of demon world, and when they did, they would let her go.

Reluctantly, she agreed, knowing there was no other true choice for her now that they knew of her existence, and so she had come during the Meiji period to join King Yama's most secret arsenal against a demonic resurgence. It was a small group, only a select few, and she might have made friends with some of them, if she had let herself, but the habit of long centuries of a shadowy half-existence proved too hard to break, even with them, and eventually they left her to withdraw alone inside her silent shadows, calling her Sango Anei, and keeping their distance as she seemed to wish. They found her uncanny, and her deadly skill and cold smile as she dispatched even the most fearsome demon innately disturbing. She let them think what they would, and kept to herself, and although she was respected, she was also feared, and left alone to her shadows as the others whispered behind their hands that the heart of the demon that beat within her had frozen her blood in more ways than one, and who knew if she even had a soul anymore?

So the years passed, with her world one of death when called upon and waiting for the next call when not. She fought, even in training, with an unbridled ferocity that was almost inconsistent with her withdrawn silence when she wasn't, and her legend grew even more among the Reikai than it had when she wandered the human world unhindered. Her requests to cross the kakai net eventually grew silent as King Yama found one excuse or another to delay what he would never give her, and he thought that she had finally given into the inevitable, and quit her impossible quest to find her brother, who was probably dead after five centuries, and kill a demon who none even now knew of. But he was wrong, for the fierce desire that had seen her live through a demonic transplant burned still within her icy soul, undimmed by time, and growing stronger for the long denial of her wish to see an end to it and the creeping knowledge that she was now in Kagome's time, and she could not, by Shigure's demand, even reveal herself to her old friends, or ease the long burden of her lonely, bitter soul with the healing warmth of their shared understanding.

And so she waited, seething in the shadows, for her chance to sneak through the border, and finally found it, when an assassin was ordered by a furious Yama to go and kill an ex-Spirit Detective by the name of Yusuke Urameshi, who had disappeared into the tunnel created by the dark anger of another named Sensui. Sensui had formed a passage between the human and demon worlds in his hatred for his own kind, and although the barrier had stood firm to hold back the highest classes of demons, it was ripped open by the psychic sword of a brash boy named Kuwabara, who had chased the former Spirit Detective Sensui through the tunnel after he had supposedly killed his friend Yusuke.

But Yusuke had had a secret, one unknown to him, and even unfamiliar to Koenma, Yama's son and Yusuke's sometime boss. He was the descendant of a hanyou born of a demon and a woman centuries before, and his demon blood asserted itself after Sensui killed him, though only the SDF had been there to see the resurrection as the detective's spirit guide Puu came to shield him from their attack. Koenma had interfered, in defiance of the King's direct order, and the pair of them had disappeared into the tunnel after a fleeing Sensui and the avenging teammates who had followed.

An assassin was sent to do what the SDF could not, and although she had not been the one ordered to go, none of the others knew that, and so she was able to take out the one who had--an assassin by the name of Shi--with a casual strike to the back of the head to render him unconscious even as she ripped the written order sending him out of his hand.

Folding herself into the long, black cloak she had taken to wearing to hide herself from the world, she had summoned one of the death-maidens, who escorted ghosts down the River Stix to their place in heaven or hell, to take her immediately to the tunnel at Demon's Gate. The black-haired maiden had been doubtful, but taken her, and although the SDF captain had his own doubts as to Yama's choosing _her_ to be the one to go after the Mazoku boy, he had let her pass. As she ran through the dark grid between the living world and the demon, her heartbeat quickened at finally having realized her long dream of crossing through the barrier. Finally, after five long centuries, she had a chance at her revenge…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I took the script in bold below from the animated English version of YYH episode, "Sensui's End." None of those words are mine, nor is the action, though I've used my own words to describe it. I interrupt the scene at a certain point, and take off from there. Thank you for the reviews, they gave me the encouragement to continue. I'm not certain who the pairing will be in this story, though I have some idears knocking about inside my head. Thanks, Fate _

_(Sidenote: I was reminded of a certain wind demon by Guyute24, who has one awesome IY/YYH crossover called "Of Pride and Absolution." I absolutely adore it, and it's worth a look-in. You'll find her on my favorites on ff(dot)net. I really encourage you to check it out.) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

WORD DEFINITIONS

Anei - shadow

Ningenkai - human world

Reikai - spirit word

Makai - demon world

_Chapter One_

The grassy clearing was quiet, but for Hiei's light snores, as a tense silence descended on the group who had stood on edge since Yusuke had revealed that it hadn't been he who had finally finished off Sensui, but someone else who had been controlling his body like a puppeteer. Exchanging pensive looks, their attention was jerked back as Yusuke growled, **"Let's go."**

**"Uh…"**Kuwabara's mouth dropped open in shock.

**"Go where?" **Koenma asked the question they were all wanting to.

**"If my ancestor's still here and still alive, than we have to find him."** Yusuke stared out toward the distant mountains as if he could pull the demon from out behind them.

**"No!" **Kuwabara protested with a shout. **"C'mon, Urameshi! We closed the case and saved the world. Can't we at least take a nap?"**

**"I'm not going to rest until I get to the bottom of this!" **Smacking a fist into the palm of his other hand, he snarled, **"My ancestor's got in the way of my fights and I can't let him get away with that, no matter who he's related to."**

Lightning flickered across the ominous sky, piercing the dark blue and purple clouds with a wan, yellow light as everyone stared at their angry friend, who glared at their indecision. **"If you aren't with me, **_**fine, **_**then I'll just stay and find him on my own!"**

Koenma paused, his brown eyes grave. **"You know, Yusuke, you may want to give this decision more thought. The SDF have no doubt been busy little beavers while we've been gone, damming up the tunnel on the human world side. Now those toadies may be many things, but they are not inefficient. That hole will be filled in like a cavity in a matter of days."**

**"Wait a minute! If the hole is sealed up, then we--uh--" **Kuwabara bit his lip, thunderstruck at the terrible thought.

**"Won't ever be able to return to Human World again."**

"That's not true."

They all turned to stare in shock as a dark figure emerged from under the trees, calmly walking toward them as if there was nothing to fear. Wrapped in a long black cloak, the hood drawn down so only the bottom half of their face was revealed, they paused as the group responded with a defensive straightening of their casual stance.

Raising his fists, Yusuke shouted, "I don't know who the hell you are, buddy, but you better start explaining just what you're suddenly doing here, or you're going to feel my fist in your face! I don't take too well to surprises!"

"Yeah! Same here!" Kuwabara yelled, shaking a fist in the stranger's direction as Kurama and Koenma stared in more patient curiosity. The giant blue bird behind them twitched its feathers and stirred restlessly from one foot to the other, the draping form of the oblivious fire youkai still snoozing across its back and shoulder, undisturbed by the hostility in the clearing.

"Just who are you, stranger?" Koenma asked, eyes narrowing as if he could see something past the surface of the concealing cloak. "And why do you think it's not true that if we don't return to human world now, than we never can?"

"Because you are mistaken, sir." The voice was soft, almost deferential, but that didn't ease any of their tension.

"Explain yourself!" Yusuke shouted. "Who are you?"

"I am called--" Casually reaching up to push back the draping hood, the person finally revealed themselves. "Anei."

Lightning suddenly cracked across the sky, leaving spidery tendrils of yellow brilliance against the dark purple clouds as thunder rumbled.

"Well, that was theatrical," Kurama commented dryly, his voice roughened slightly by the heightened presence of his other self, the fox demon Youko.

"A girl?" Kuwabara's mouth fell open. She seemed far less dangerous, with her black hair spilling across her shoulders and her delicate features revealed. She was pretty, maybe even beautiful--though no one could ever be as beautiful to him as his Yukina--with an almost elfin face. Her chin was pointed and stubborn, her lips a little thin, perhaps, for true beauty. Her nose was a little upturned and her thickly-lashed brown eyes were half-way covered by the thick feathers of her bangs, which stirred restlessly in the rising wind. She was rather short and slight, the draping folds of her long black cloak wrapping themselves to one side as they flared out on the other. There was something not quite right with her, though, and it had his sixth sense buzzing like crazy, though he couldn't quite tell why.

"That doesn't really tell us a whole helluva lot." Yusuke brushed at the long brown bangs that covered his eyes. "Damn it! Stupid hair!"

"Anei," Koenma drawled her name out thoughtfully, trying to wrack his brain for the nagging worry that wiggled just out of his reach. "Where do I know you from?"

"Who cares!" Yusuke shouted, folding his arms across his bare chest and glaring at her with disdain. "She's just a stupid girl."

Brown eyes narrowing, the girl responded with an icy rejoinder, "Don't underestimate me, demon. It was I who was sent to kill you."

Lightning lashed across the sky again, thunder snarling behind it.

"Woah! What was that?!" Kuwabara roared as Yusuke smirked.

"Really? Is that so?" Raising a fist, he pointed it in her direction with a cocky smirk. "Now that's what I need--a fight. Though I don't expect you'll put up much of one. I'm a S-class demon now, don't you know."

"I didn't come here to fight you, Yusuke Urameshi, much as you would like me to. I came here to warn you of the danger you are now in. I felt it was the least I could do, seeing as you are the one who allowed me to finally cross the barrier." Her eyes were dark, unfathomable, and Kuwabara almost flinched at the cold disdain in them.

"Anei--I got it!" Koenma suddenly shouted, drawing their startled attention as he pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're her--the demon assassin! Some call you the Shadow--but no one really knows who you are. You're one of the strongest fighters in my father's employ, but you never show any true loyalty to the Reikai. Your skills are legendary, but my father would never have let you come to the demon world, even to kill Yusuke, unless he was desperate. Tell me--did my father, King Yama, send you?"

"Yes--and no," she replied, her stance almost relaxed and easy amidst the angry tension surrounding her.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Yusuke shouted. "If you're here to fight me, than let's do it, 'cause I'm ready! I just gotta warn ya, I ain't ready to die again today, and I won't go easy on you, just because you're a girl!"

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara automatically protested, his sense of honor ruffled once again by his friend's callous disregard for the Rules.

"Stow it, Kuwabara. I'm not in the mood to let anyone threaten me and get away with it!" Yusuke snarled, fists clenching as he squared his body to face the girl. He blinked as he saw a slight smile curve her lips, her eyes softening for a moment as she shook her head.

"Is he always this dense?" She directed her question to Koenma, who nodded with a wan smile.

"I'm afraid he is."

"Hey!" Yusuke shouted, then gagged as some of his sudden new hair decided it would try to get in his mouth as the wind picked up. "Damn it!"

"You still have yet to explain yourself, miss," Kurama pointed out, his voice slightly husky from the strain of having his demon energy drained so fully from the fight with Sensui. It seemed like ages ago, and had yet just happened. Things had a ways of hurrying along where Yusuke was concerned, and he should have grown used to it by now.

"I was not the one King Yama intended to go," she said, her slight smile vanishing as quickly as it had come. "But I decided to take advantage of the situation for my own reasons."

"And they are?" Yusuke growled, tugging at his hair with two fists of frustration.

"None of your business," she replied sharply, her eyes narrowing.

"Ha! Hit a nerve, there, did I?" Yusuke abandoned the futile struggle with his hair to put his hands on his hips and grin sarcastically at her.

She ignored him, turning back to the more intelligent members of the group. "You should know, Prince Koenma, that the King has written out a death warrant on Yusuke Urameshi. Reikai considers his new, demonic power to be too great a risk to allow back into human world."

"But that's…that's…wrong!" Kuwabara protested at the top of his lungs. "How could they do something like that?"

"Something we've already known," Koenma interrupted. "The SDF captain told me and Yusuke on the other side of the tunnel that part of their mission was to kill Yusuke. He's considered too dangerous a demon now."

"Heh. Got 'em all scared, do I?" He rubbed his knuckles against his muscled chest with pride.

"Why are you telling us this, Anei? And what did you mean when you said that it wasn't true that unless we return to human world now, before the breach in the barrier is closed by the SDF, and we're stuck in this realm forever?" Koenma demanded.

"Yeah!" Kuwabara hit on that second question. "What'd you mean? I don't want to be stuck here in this godforsaken place any longer than I have to!"

"I'm telling you because it's only fair to warn you. The Reikai will not rest until they have captured or killed Yusuke Urameshi, and there are more assassins than just me at their disposal."

"Ha! Bring 'em on!" Yusuke tossed his hair back, his smile cocky and confident. "I can take on anyone, any time."

The girl remained silent.

"Why have you gone against my father's wishes? Why bother? Even if you don't intend to kill Yusuke yourself, why warn him?"

"Because it's not right to turn on one of your own." Her voice grew suddenly angry, her eyes darkening to a mahogany hue. "Especially when he's done nothing to deserve it. The Reikai often consider themselves morally superior to mere humans, but just because they are from spirit world doesn't give them the right to pass judgment on a half-demon just because he is what he is. It's not his fault."

There was a wealth of anger and passion in her words, and she turned away to gain control over the boil of her emotions. They gave her that, respectful of her feelings, and said nothing when she turned back to them, her face an unemotional mask once more. "Look, my reasons do not matter. Just take my warning--and my advice. If I were Yusuke, than I would stay here, in demon world, where the SDF think he will be trapped forever, when he doesn't have to be."

"How?" Koenma asked, eager to know how the kakai barrier could be breached once sealed.

"If you, Prince Koenma--and you--" she pointed at Kuwabara, who pointed at himself and then mouthed, "Me?" in surprise at her nod, "go back to human world, then you could open the kakai barrier at any time you wanted to. Once your spiritual power is restored, Prince Koenma, than you could open a passage at any time to the Barrier, and Kuwabara, with his spirit sword, could cut through the kakai net once more."

"Wouldn't that just allow other demons to pass through?" Kurama asked, his white hair rustling slightly in the faint breeze. "It would be the same situation as we have now."

"Not so," Koenma said slowly, his eyes thoughtful. "I had forgotten that any SDF can open a window, so to speak, to the barrier from the human realm. It just takes spirit energy."

"I have that!" Yusuke yelled, his smile growing as he enthusiastically turned the possibility over in his mind. "That means I can go home any time I want to, right? I can stay here, find that ancestral creep who stole my fight and took over my body, off him, and then go back home."

"I'm sorry, Yusuke, but it doesn't quite work that way." Koenma shook his head sadly.

"What'd you mean, baby-face, it doesn't quite work that way?" Yusuke growled, his dark brows drawing down as he glared.

"A portal to the barrier can only be made from the human side, Yusuke," Koenma answered gravely. "It doesn't work on the demon side--a precaution created to keep demons from exhorting a captured SDF agent to open a gateway to the Ningenkai."

"That's stupid!" Yusuke shouted his opinion of the whole idea.

"But necessary," Kurama said gently, his light golden eyes straying across the hilly landscape. "There are many demons who would be eager to use such a way to cross over to the human realm."

"Very true," Koenma agreed with a grave nod.

"So, what does that mean?" Kuwabara demanded. "That only me and Koenma can open the barrier back up, and only from human world?"

"Tell me," Kurama turned back to the girl, who had watched them silently the whole time, "what of the barrier? If Kuwabara cuts another hole in it, to allow us to pass through it and return to human world, what happens then? Isn't the SDF trying to close the barrier now?"

"That's where I would come in," Koenma answered, his tone a little rueful. "With my spiritual power restored, I can close the barrier back up in a matter of minutes. I _am_ King Yama's son. I have a little more power at my disposal than those SDF toadies."

Yusuke stomped over to the seemingly brown-haired teenager and grabbed the front of his shirt in one fist so he could pick him up and shake him. "Are you telling me, brat, that you knew this the whole time and didn't think to tell us? What was all that doomsday crap earlier about us never being able to return again to Ningenkai? Huh?"

"Well--" Koenma blushed even as he kicked feebly a foot off the ground, "I forgot."

"You forgot?!" Yusuke dropped him like a stone, sending the prince sprawling. "You got to be kidding me! What the hell else did you conveniently 'forget' to tell us, huh?"

Puu crooned at his spirit-brother's agitation, his head bending down to regard them all with a concerned eye as Koenma picked himself back up and dusted himself off.

"You're acting like a brat, Yusuke, when all we're trying to do is help you." The prince glared.

"I'm acting like a brat?" Yusuke laughed, but it was not a pleasant sound. "Well, maybe I got my reasons, pacifier-junkie! I just had some stupid ancestor demon take over my body and kill off my opponent and I don't know when he might try and do it again!"

"Well, now you can have your chance to find him, Yusuke," Kurama pointed out, his husky voice amused. "Without being trapped in demon world forever."

"Ah--" Yusuke glared, finger pointing angrily at his friend before he froze, his face suddenly cracking a wide smile. "That's right! I can now go find that ass hole, kill him, and still return to Kei--I mean, school. Wait--come to think of it, who the hell wants to return to _school_?"

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara protested. "Don't you want to graduate?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes, wiping his long hair back away from his brow with an impatient gesture. "First, I'll need a hair cut. This mop is driving me crazy!"

"Then you've decided to stay?" Koenma asked, pursing his lips.

"Hell, yeah, I'm staying!" Yusuke rounded on the other boy. "I gotta go find that jerk who took over my body and killed Sensui. He's got some explaining to do!"

"I understand." Koenma nodded. "Then the rest of us will return to human world--"

"I'm staying," Kurama said suddenly.

"What?" Yusuke turned around, a grin growing. "Thanks, fox. I could use the help."

"My pleasure." The fox demon bowed slightly. "I feel there is something here that can also help me answer some questions I have of my own."

"Yusuke _could_ use the help--if only to keep that hot head of his under some type of cool control." Koenma sighed.

"What was that?" Yusuke shouted.

Ignoring him, Koenma turned to Kurama. "Then I guess, Hiei will be staying, too."

"I know he would prefer it," Kurama replied. Glancing up at his friend, who still snored across the spirit-bird's shoulder, he smiled fondly. "He has missed Makai. It's his home. I think he deserves to stay for all he has done for us. He's more than worked off his sentence, I should think."

Koenma frowned. "Yes…"

"Then, it's decided. Hiei and I will stay in demon world for now and help Yusuke find this ancestor of his so we can question his intentions--"

"Who says anything about question?" Yusuke slammed a fist into his other hand. "I just plan to smash his face in for what he did to me!"

"Hey!" Kuwabara shouted, his hands curling into frustrated fists at his side. "What about me? Huh? Don't I count for something?"

"Er…" Koenma looked slightly nervous, not quite meeting the other boy's eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean? What aren't you telling me, diaper-boy?" Kuwabara snarled. "I ain't stupid!"

"Much," Yusuke added, his eyes warm as he looked up at his friend.

"Damn it, Urameshi!" Kuwabara shook a fist at him.

"Kuwabara--" Kurama laid a gentle hand on the tall boy's shoulder. "We will need you to return to human world with Koenma, to open the barrier back up for us when we're ready to return. Only you have the power to open the kakai net, and you can only do it from the other side."

"But--that means--" Kuwabara looked haggard at the thought.

"That you'll have to go back, you big lug, and let me go do this one on my own," Yusuke said, punching the boy lightly on the other shoulder.

"Not on your own," Kurama gently interrupted, and Yusuke flashed him a grateful smile.

"But--that's not fair!" Kuwabara protested. "How come they get to stay when I don't?"

"Because, you numbskull, I need you to go back and protect everyone while I'm gone." Yusuke knocked him upside the head, causing the big man to fall on his ass in the dirt so he could stand over him with his arms on his hips to smile down at him. "I'm depending on you to take care of things while I'm stuck here doing what I gotta do. I don't want my mom or Keiko to worry, and I don't want any punks getting any bright ideas about moving in on our turf. Besides, now that I'm officially fired, there's no Spirit Detective back there to defend the city against any bad weirdo's who think they can just run over the humans."

Kuwabara looked distinctly unhappy, but was disgruntled by Yusuke's sound arguments. "But we're a team, Urameshi. You need me."

"I do need you, idiot. But I need you back there, so I don't have to worry about anything. I know you'll take care of everyone while I'm gone, and make sure nothing happens to them while I'm stuck down here. That takes a big load off my mind."

"Not to mention, Kuwabara, that you'll be needed to re-open the barrier with me when Yusuke decides to return," Koenma added.

"Damn it," Kuwabara sulked, shoulders slumping in defeat. Yusuke lightly punched him, and he grinned wanly as the other boy helped him back up to his feet. Suddenly pointing a finger in the ex-Spirit Detective's face, the redhead growled, "You better take care of yourself, Urameshi! Got that? 'Cause if you don't, I ain't gonna be there a second time to come save your ass!"

"Got it, you big clown." Yusuke grinned, and then flew across the grass as Kuwabara's heavy fist crashed against his noggin. "Hey! What the hell was that for?!"

"You better not do anything stupid, Urameshi, and make me worry! I'm gonna do what I gotta do, and make sure everything stay's okay back in human world, but you better make sure you come back, 'cause if you don't, than I'm going to come back here and--" Wiping a tear from his eye, the big man glared as he pretended that he didn't really care. His act wasn't fooling anyone.

Kurama touched the redhead on one shoulder. "Don't worry, Kuwabara. Hiei and I will make sure Yusuke doesn't do anything too stupid."

"Hey!"

Kuwabara sniffed. "You better, Kurama. And tell that pint-sized runt that I'll be looking for him if anything happens to Urameshi. He better take care of him, if he knows what's good for him!"

"I will," Kurama assured him.

"Hey! You all act like I can't take care of myself!" Yusuke yelled, jumping back up to his feet.

"Just do it, you big dummy." Kuwabara suddenly squeezed the other boy in a bear hug, lifting him up a good foot off the ground.

"Ow! Damn it, you stupid bear!"

"You better get a hair cut, Urameshi." Kuwabara let him go. "You look like a girl with all that hair."

"What?!"

"He does, a bit." Koenma looked at the hairy detective with an assessing eye.

"Excuse me?!"

"Heh." Kurama looked amused.

"Well, I guess we should go." Koenma looked back towards the distant horizon, as if he could see the portal closing. "We'll have to take Puu to make it in time."

The blue bird made a low sound, not liking that fact but not arguing either.

"What'll we do about Hiei? He's still sound asleep!" Kuwabara scowled up at the black-haired demon, distinctly perturbed by how sound a sleeper he was.

"We all, actually, need to rest." Kurama looked at Yusuke. "Kuwabara's idea of a nap is a good one."

Yusuke scowled. "I guess so."

"Hiei and I will need to recover our demon energy, and even you, Yusuke, could use the rest. Hiei is probably the smartest of all of us for taking the first quiet moment to fall asleep."

"Pass out, you mean." Kuwabara grinned at that weakness.

"I suggest you find somewhere a little more safe than this open clearing," Koenma said, glancing around him with a jaundiced eye.

"Hey! Where'd that girl go?" Kuwabara looked around wildly. The wind stirred the grass lightly, and the only sound was the trees swaying in the breeze. Lightning continued to flicker silently among the heavy clouds above them, but did not strike like it had earlier. There was no sign anyone had ever been there, and they all looked at each other in puzzlement.

"Did anyone even see her leave?" Kurama asked, slightly worried by that fact.

"Now, that's creepy. I don't like it," Yusuke growled, holding a hand over his eyes so he could look around the silent clearing with a glare. "I don't trust that damn bitch. Why'd she come all the way here just to warn us that she was sent to kill us, and then tell us how we can stay, and then just up and disappear like that? Something smells about the whole thing."

"You worry too much." Koenma shook his head, dismissing their concern. "You don't have to worry about her, Yusuke. She already told us that she only came to warn us because she thought it was wrong not to. You should be grateful that she did, because she also reminded me of how you can stay in demon world long enough to find your ancestor and still be able to return to the human world."

"That is true," Kurama conceded. "Perhaps we should be grateful. She didn't have to go out of her way for us."

"Heh. An assassin with an honor code. That's rich," Yusuke sneered, unfazed by their arguments.

"She does have an honor code, though it's as much a mystery to anyone as anything about her." Koenma frowned.

"What do you know of this Anei, Koenma?" Kurama asked, wiping a tired hand across his face. He wasn't good for too much longer on his feet. He was as exhausted as Hiei, and could have slept like the dead as the fire demon was doing, but felt he needed a few more answers before he could allow himself the luxury.

"Not much," Koenma admitted, nonplussed at Yusuke's derisive snort. Ignoring the boy, he turned to speak to the fox demon, who still looked rather strange in his Youko Kurama form, rather than as the elegant, red-headed boy Shuichi Minamino he was more used to. "She was hired about a hundred-fifty years ago, during the Meiji period of Japan, and no one knows anything about her past. My dad might, but he's always been really evasive about it. I know that there was an official order sent out, under the most top-secret clearance, that she must never be allowed to even get close to the barrier, let alone cross it, and that was weird, because we occasionally send the assassins out into demon world to take care of someone for us. They're the best of the best--they make the SDF look like a bunch of pathetic weaklings."

"What is she?" Kurama asked. "Her energy was strange. She felt almost like me, but not quite the same. She has a demonic aura, but feels entirely human."

"Hey! That explains the weird feeling I had about her." Kuwabara suddenly interrupted, eyes lighting up. "My spiritual sense was going crazy, but I didn't know why. I just thought it was all the weird energy in this evil place."

"She is human." Koenma nodded as Yusuke made a face. "But she's part demon."

"Is she a Mazoku descendant, like me?" Yusuke demanded, loathing the idea. He wondered what his own aura now felt like.

"Not quite." Koenma smiled. "As far as I know, she was born a human, sometime in the distant past, and somehow gained the heart of a wind youkai. At least, that's what the records say."

"A wind demon?" Kuwabara blinked. "Like Jin?"

"Hey! I remember him. I fought him during the Dark Tournament. It was a draw." Yusuke grinned at the fond memory, before planting a fist in his other hand. "Come to think of it, he was a little strange, a bit off in the head, I'd say. Maybe that explains how weird she is."

Kurama just shook his head as Koenma scowled. "You really are dense, Urameshi. It's a wonder you've survived this long. Some people are just born lucky, I guess."

It was Yusuke's turn to scowl as Kuwabara laughed. "Ha, ha, Urameshi! He's got you there!"

"Shut up," Yusuke growled, fists clenching.

"Awn, whatcha gonna do to make me, little girl?" Kuwabara taunted, relishing the return of their easy banter. He hated to admit it, but he didn't want to leave Urameshi back here where he couldn't help him. He needed the reassurance that Yusuke was going to be all right, that he was still the same jerk he had always known, that he was going to be okay, even as this half-demon-whatever-it-was he had turned himself into.

"You're going to pay for that, oaf!" Yusuke launched himself at the taller boy, who laughed in delight as they went down in a tumble of flying fists and feet.

"Heh." Kurama looked on the wildly swinging pair with tolerant amusement as Koenma rolled his eyes.

"Will they ever learn?"

"Probably not," Kurama replied.

"I'm going to kick your ass, Urameshi!" Kuwabara shouted behind them.

"Is that so? You and what army?" Yusuke's shout was lost as Kuwabara hollered as he landed a nasty punch on the other boy's chin.

"Take care of him, Koenma," Kurama said, nodding to the gleeful redhead, who was busy punching his best friend in the gut.

"And you take care of him, Kurama." Koenma nodded at the other boy, who was cursing loudly as his long hair got in the way.

"You not only look like a girl now, Urameshi, you fight like one!" Kuwabara taunted, groaning as a fist glanced off his forehead and another hit him in the ribs.

"I do not!" Yusuke roared, fists flying faster as Kuwabara ducked away. "You're going to eat those words, meathead!"

The two watchers could only shake their heads as Hiei continued to snore and Puu crooned softly to himself, settling down to wait. This might take awhile.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

_So, this is Makai._

She stared about her in some surprise, for it was not as she had expected. She had thought the demon world would be some dark pit of hellish fire or a grisly landscape of dead trees, barren rocks and grey dirt. Maybe even something like Naraku's castle had been back in the day, with a thick miasma of heavy evil hanging over it in sullen anger. The sky was a strange color--not blue, as in the living world, but rather a dark indigo and purple, though it could be the low clouds that still hovered across the landscape, lightning occasionally flickering in their depths.

The thick grass under her feet and the tall trees that surrounded her on all sides felt like any others she had known, and the wind circled around her with a faint touch of dampness. The smell, which at first had seemed to carry a faint, sulfuric hint of rotting flesh and charred remains, now seemed cleaner to her, as if she had learned to sense the air beneath the first layer. Perhaps she had just gotten used to it, but she felt slightly dizzy as she breathed deeper, taking in great lungfuls of fresh air without the stench of auto exhaust or pollution. She hadn't breathed air this clean and pure since long ago, when the living world had been far less mechanized than it was now, and she smiled at the memories it recalled for her, for she smelled the faint hint of flowers on the breeze.

She froze, smelling something else, and quickly jumped up and out of the way as a thick club smashed into the ground she had been standing on but a moment before. Flipping over in mid-air, she landed lightly on the balls of her feet, one hand on the hilt of her hidden sword, though it was unnecessary, for the dagger she had sent spinning through the air as she jumped away had found its target, and landed hilt-deep right in the center of the one-eyed demon's forehead.

It fell on its face with a startled, gurgling cry, its huge body twitching feebly before finally laying still. She watched, waiting for any others that might lie hidden, and was rewarded for her patience when a second one-eyed ogre burst out from the trees with a roar.

"Damn you, human!" His bloody eye glinted with rage, its dull awareness seething with hatred. "I'm going to kill you and enjoy eating you for that!"

Raising his club, he started to swing it with all his might for her head, but the action was suddenly arrested as his body spasmed, the club falling from his loosened grip as his headless body abruptly fell over with a crash. The head sailed cleanly across the small clearing until it disappeared among some thick bushes.

Flicking the blood off of her sword, Sango calmly went and retrieved her knife from the other ogre's forehead. Wiping the blood off in the grass, she made a face at the stench that rose from the bodies. Demon insects were already flocking to the fresh kill, and there would soon be other carrion-eaters attracted to the opportunity thus presented. She'd be better to leave and avoid any others who might take it into their dull heads that she might be an easy meal.

She should actually take some time to sit down and think of how she should proceed. She knew little of the terrain, and had no idea how she might go tracking down one demon among thousands. It would be like searching for a single piece of grass in a field of them, and she was a little annoyed at herself for not having thought too much past the point of actually getting here, to the demon world. It was rather humbling, actually. One would think after five hundred years, she would have learned to think a little more ahead than this. She was acting more like Inuyasha right now, in just leaping ahead half-cocked, than she was her more careful self. She smiled sadly at the memory, and looked up at the strange sky, the breeze tickling the hairs along her cheeks and forehead as she wondered if he were back there, now, in human world, with Kagome, at her family's shrine. She might never know--for the burden of her promise to Shigure in exchange for Kagura's heart prevented her from ever finding them again.

It was the price for her revenge, and while it had seemed okay at the time, as anything would have, it sat heavily upon her now, when she might have been able to actually go and see them, and be welcomed by the family she had surrounded herself with after her own had died.

Her heart tightened in her chest, and she felt the wind whisper to her faintly, its touch eerily familiar. It had been like that, ever since the horrific operation, when the demon chirugeon had implanted her with Kagura's heart. She had felt as if she were somehow a part of it, and she could use the winds in small part, although she didn't have nearly the same power and control as Kagura had had over them. She could manipulate the air around her self, even lighten her own body or feed her own energy into it to make a stronger breeze, but it was harder for her to do, and cost her more strength than she was willing to expend. Her physical gifts of enhanced strength, speed and agility were more than enough for her to be grateful for, not to mention the healing properties and longevity imparted her mortal body.

The cost would be worth it, in the end, if she were able to find Naraku, finally free her brother and kill that disgusting parasite. It would all be worth it--the pain and the loneliness, the seething anger and the betrayal of all that her clan had held dear. She would give anything, do anything, to realize that dream, and she had already sacrificed her humanity and her life for it. She was the shadow who slipped across the edge of life, never taking a part in it. Always traveling her road alone, and always knowing that she could never find peace until she finished the task she had set herself. Then she could be free, and that desire, so strong in Kagura's heart, which was now a part of her, cried out in the darkness of the empty night, hungering for that wisp of hope, that one day, she would be…


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: Granted Kagura's heart by the surgeon Shigure, Sango has finally reached Makai after 500 years of waiting for her chance at revenge. But what awaits her in the demon realm? New friends or old enemies? (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I decided to change the summary, which was vague. I may change it again, I'm still not totally satisfied that it "grabs," which a good summary should! LOL. Anyhoot, thank you for the lovely reviews (especially CrazyonDisplay, you are so sweet!) and forgive the all over the place point-of-view in this chapter. I finally gave up after four edits and decided to post as-is. (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

WORD DEFINITIONS

Taiji-ya - demon slayer

Youkai - demon

Hanyou - half-demon

_**Chapter Two**_

Stumbling across them again was pure coincidence, though she didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused as she stepped right into their small encampment like the most blundering of novices. She hadn't sensed them--they must have dampened their demonic energies to hide themselves--and she hadn't been paying as much attention as she should have to her surroundings. The darkness of night was not as hindering as it had been before, when she had been merely human, but her eyesight wasn't as keen as a true demon's. She had enough to be able to keep traveling when the sullen clouds had eventually darkened into twilight and then true night, but she hadn't enough to make out their presence through the underbrush.

Her sudden appearance was greeted by a loud shout and a sudden fist sweeping her off her feet and tossing her back against a tree with pinning force as the man's other hand gripped her neck in a pincher-like hold between his thumb and fingers. She was so surprised that she didn't have time to react in the first moment, but the fool hadn't pinned her too securely, and she had a sharp knife pointed at his bare stomach in the next as she hissed a warning.

"Let go of me or you're a dead man."

There was a bark of laughter, the irritating sound easily recognizable. It was the boy, Yusuke, and his friends. _'Damn.'_

"My, isn't this a surprise." The soft voice of the fox demon came out of the dark as he suddenly lit something in his hand, a luminescent globe forming as a seed sprouted into life in his palm. His white hair was gone, his clothing changed and the animal ears that had reminded her so achingly of Inuyasha had vanished. He looked completely different, his face human and almost femininely beautiful with dark green eyes and long, red hair. He looked younger than his demon self, but there was something in his eyes that hinted at the other. He looked impeccably neat, his light green over-robe and cream kimono and zubon somewhat incongruous with the wild forest surrounding them.

"You better have a damn good explanation for sneaking up on us, lady!" The boy who held her in a chokehold against the tree growled, his brown eyes glittering angrily behind the untidy waterfall of his long, brown hair.

Gritting her teeth, Sango pressed the sharp knife-point a little harder into his bare stomach, which he sucked in reflexively. "Let me go, _now_."

"I don't think so!" The iron band around her neck tightened. Sango's eyes narrowed and she refused to drop her gaze as the battle of wills intensified between them. A trickle of blood ran down the boy's stomach from where the razor-sharp edge of her knife grazed his skin and the muscles of his arm stood out in tight tension as neither of them caved to the other.

"Well, this will get us nowhere," Kurama, ever the voice of reason, said dryly. Touching Yusuke's shoulder, he suggested, "Perhaps you should let her go. She can't talk while you have your hand wrapped around her throat."

"Why, so she can try and kill us again?" Yusuke snarled, sucking his stomach in further as her knife dug a little deeper in annoyance.

Ignoring him, the fox demon turned his level gaze to her. "Koenma said you had an honor code. Will you give your word, then, assassin, not to try and kill us, at least while we talk?"

She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but only nodded, the muscles in her throat working convulsively for a breath of air.

"I don't believe her," Yusuke stubbornly insisted, but she was done playing nice and decided to forego being polite for getting herself out of this mess. Rocking her legs up, she used his momentary distraction to plant her feet in his belly and push him off of her with a mighty kick. He flew back with a yell of surprise and she calmly sheathed her knife under the concealing folds of her cloak and dusted herself off as he jumped back up to his feet with a snarl.

"Damn it, I'm going to make you pay for that, wench!"

She looked at him, out of patience for his stupidity. "Oh, stop it. I'm not here to kill you. I already told you that."

"Then why are you here, miss?" Kurama asked, standing easily as if they were old acquaintances who had just bumped into each other on the sidewalk, instead of doubtful strangers in the middle of a demon wood in a whole other realm.

"Pure coincidence," she said, knowing they wouldn't believe her.

"Yeah, right!" Yusuke growled. "You expect us to buy that? What next? You gonna try and sell us some ocean-front property in the desert?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth." She automatically put her back against the tree so she could watch both of them. "I wasn't looking where I was going, and stumbled right into you."

"Sure you were." Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"She's telling the truth," Kurama said quietly.

"You got to be kidding me." Yusuke let out a sharp bark of laughter, his teeth flashing in a mocking grin. "That's hilarious!"

Sango glared. That half-demon knew just how to get under her skin, much like another one she had known. The thought didn't give her any comfort, though. Instead it made her uneasy, and she twitched the folds of her cloak around her, as if separating herself with it. There was a certain chill to her voice as she said, "Well, then, I'll be going now, seeing as I've explained myself."

Yusuke abruptly stopped laughing, his own voice growing cold. "I don't think so, lady."

Sango looked at him, wondering if he was really that stupid. "How are you going to stop me, demon?"

"We wouldn't, actually," Kurama said, much to Yusuke's annoyance. "But won't you consider sharing our camp for a bit? Perhaps we can help you in some way--after all, we do owe you for telling us how we might leave demon world when we are ready to."

"What? We don't owe her anything!" Yusuke protested, expression aghast at the thought. Kurama only looked at him, and he turned sour. "Okay, fine. Maybe we do, but it's not all that much."

Ready to decline the offer, Sango paused. Perhaps these young men--well, maybe not the ex-detective, he seemed pretty thick-headed--could provide her with more information than she had. It wouldn't hurt, at least, to see if they did know anything about their whereabouts on the demon plane.

"Actually, maybe you could help me."

Yusuke scowled, suspicious.

"I could use some information about this place," Sango waved vaguely around them, her stance relaxing a bit as Yusuke snorted. For some reason, his sarcastic protest reassured her more with its hanyou familiarity than a friendlier overture would have.

"You're telling me a demon assassin doesn't know anything about the demon world?"

"Yes." She left it at that, and he looked shocked that she would be so blunt about that simple fact. Perhaps his arrogant male ego would never let him show such weakness. She didn't need to care what others thought of her, though. She was who she was.

"Well, I can certainly help you with that," Kurama said companionably, noting how she had relaxed a little at Yusuke's sarcasm. "I have some small knowledge of this place from my past life as a fox demon."

"Past life?" She looked at him curiously, nodding slightly to herself as if finally understanding something. "I was wondering about that--your demonic aura feels veiled to me."

"As does yours." Kurama smiled slightly as her eyes narrowed. She was certainly skittish. But then, so was Yusuke.

"Yeah, what's up with that? Are you a human or a demon or what?" Yusuke glared at her.

"Something like that." She turned her head away to look up at the trees. "Your friend, the other demon, is up there?"

"How did you know that?" Planting his fists on his hips, Yusuke glared.

"He is certainly a sound sleeper," she said, her expression slightly amused by that fact.

"He has to be, with Yusuke around," Kurama replied, sharing her amusement.

"Hey!"

"I would invite you to share our campfire, miss--Anei, was it?--but as none of us know how to light one without using demon energy--which is still dangerously low, considering all we've been through this afternoon--I hope you will settle for this little candle-bud, a seed of which I still fortunately had left in my possession." He was almost too courteous to be true, and Sango wished she knew more about him, for she was deeply suspicious of how simply _nice_ he seemed.

"Why'd you have to go and tell her that?" Yusuke growled at his friend. "Damn it, Kurama, she didn't have to know how low our reserves were!"

Deciding to ignore that, Sango opted to return kindness for kindness. "I can light a fire, if you wish. It might attract some interest, though--unwelcome interest. This _is_ a demon forest."

Yusuke laughed. "You think that really matters all that much? This is a demon's _world_."

"He's got a point." Kurama smiled indulgently at his friend.

Sango shrugged. "Fine by me. I could use some kindling."

Kurama stared at Yusuke, who glared back at them. "Damn it! Why do I have to be the one to go?"

"Well, seeing as you are the one with the most strength right now…" Kurama reasoned.

"Fine! I'll go. Sheesh! I'm always the one who has to keep--" His mutters faded as he disappeared into the darkness.

"Is he always this…" Sango asked the fox demon, who smiled slightly.

"Yes."

She left it at that, what else could she say? Yusuke reminded her a lot of Inuyasha, and while it was certainly irritating, she had grown used to _him_ over time. She even missed his brash bravado now that she could never--she cut that line of thought off quickly, and started gathering rocks into a circle and pulling up the grass inside it. Kurama set himself down on a convenient tree root nearby, helpfully holding up the candle-bud plant so she could see what she was doing. Neither of them said anything until Yusuke returned with a load of sticks and a list of complaints.

Sango ignored him as she tidied the pile he had tossed down beside her. Pulling a box of matches from inside her cloak, she coaxed the dancing light from one stick to the other, blowing gently to coax the flame to catch.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Yusuke slapped a hand to his forehead as he slouched down across from her and beside his friend. "Matches?"

"I came prepared." Sango shrugged, blowing out the spent match and adding it to the creeping flames. Sitting back on her heels, she stared at the fire, mesmerized for a moment by its strangely comforting presence.

"Better than us," Kurama commented dryly.

"Fuh." Yusuke made a sarcastic sound, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "Stupid hair."

"I have an extra ponytail tie, if you need it." Sango looked up at him, and he reddened.

"I don't need some stupid girlie hair tie! I just need to cut this damn mop off." He tugged at the annoying tangle with a growl.

"I could do that for you, if I had a pair of scissors," Kurama said. They suddenly looked at Sango, who couldn't help but grin, they both looked so hopeful.

Pulling free her Swiss army knife, she eyed at the small, folded blade doubtfully. "A longer knife would be better."

"I take it you have that, too?" Kurama asked, graceful brows raising.

"A few," she said, freeing a medium-sized dagger and passing it over hilt-first.

"Just what the hell else do you have under there?" Yusuke demanded, before a wicked grin broke through his sour expression.

Sango scowled. Great. Just what she needed, another pervert.

Flipping the edges of cloak closed around her knees, she wondered just what the hell she was thinking of in sitting here watching one demon give another a hair cut. She must be losing her mind.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sizing up his victim, Kurama picked a side at random and started slicing. Yusuke sat Indian-style in front of the fox demon's tree root, hands on his knees, and glared at the girl watching them with dark eyes. The firelight flickered across her face, which seemed too young and innocent for what others claimed about her.

"So, what are you? Some kind of paid demon killer?" he demanded, tired of the heavy silence. He batted annoyingly at Kurama, who started tugging at his bangs.

"Something like that." She looked into the fire, seemingly lost in memories. "I was born a taiji-ya."

"A demon slayer?" Yusuke jerked. "Ow! Damn it, Kurama! You nearly cut my ear off."

Kurama ignored him, staring back at her with a grave expression. "A taiji-ya? They haven't been around for a long time. Their existence is considered by many to be but a fairytale."

"Yes." She rested her chin on her knees, wondering what the hell she was thinking in revealing so much about herself. But for some strange reason, these people she hardly knew seemed more real to her than even her own former associates among King Yama's guard. She had certainly spoken more today than she had in a dozen or more years. It felt…nice.

"So why are you here, if I might ask?" Kurama's voice was casual, and he carefully didn't look at her, instead concentrating on working over the wild crop of brown hair before him.

"Yeah. That's something I'd like to know," Yusuke muttered, glaring up at his callous friend with deep suspicion. He hoped Kurama didn't end up making him look more like a girl than he did now. He wasn't the most manly-looking guy, after all, though the girls seemed to love the bishi look of the red-haired fox.

"I'm looking for a demon," she said, expression tightening. "What about you?"

"Same," Yusuke said shortly, attention taken up with the knife that flashed so ominously in the firelight above him. It was too close for much comfort and he grumbled under his breath, hating the whole stinking situation.

"Your ancestor, the youkai?" she quietly asked, and he found himself answering more of her questions than he had ever intended, distracted as he was by that damn knife in Kurama's hands. He was finally glad when his bangs were back above his eyes instead of being right in front of them and shook his head at the much lighter feel as his long locks were finally snipped off.

"God, that feels good!" He grinned, and Kurama lightly laughed.

"Well, stop moving so I can trim you up. You still look pretty ragged, Yusuke."

"Shit. Hurry it up already, will ya?" Yusuke submitted once more with ill grace, his eyes settling back on the girl. She seemed much more relaxed than she had been before. He decided to stir her up a bit, and demanded bluntly, "What about you? You haven't said that much about why _you_ are here. Koenma said you were some kind of half-a-wind-demon or something stupid like that. Is Jin some kind of ancestor of yours?"

"Who?" She fiddled with a piece of her long hair, which was partially draped over one shoulder, the rest spilling down her back. There were brown highlights among the black strands, the firelight giving them a reddish tinge. He wondered what she did look like under that thick cloak which concealed her so well and what deformity it hid.

"Jin. The wind demon?" Yusuke demanded. "He's Irish, I think. Or maybe he just thinks he's Irish."

"I'm not Irish," she said, her voice sounding preoccupied.

"Duh." Yusuke rolled his eyes, and jerked as Kurama swiped a bit too close to his ear again.

Silence descended between them once more, until Kurama asked lightly, "I know you wanted to know more about the Makai--is there any particular questions you have?"

"Yes." She came to attention, dropping her hair and straightening her spine. Her eyes were suddenly intense, as if she would absorb everything he said. "Like, do you know exactly where we are right now?"

Kurama smiled faintly as Yusuke looked interested. "Yeah, Kurama. Do you know where we are?"

"We are on the edge of the Reikai-controlled zone, so far as I can tell, in the Forest of Fools. It's in the disputed lands between the Reikai and Lord Raizen," Kurama replied, gently turning Yusuke's head so he could work on the other side. "Hiei would be better able to tell you just exactly where we are."

"Hiei?"

"Our friend fast asleep in the trees. He was exhausted from our battle earlier. He gave a lot of his energy to battling Sensui."

"So you killed him, then," she said, tone pleased.

"It wasn't _I_ who killed him," Yusuke muttered darkly, still bitter over the fact. "Damn demons."

"You are now one of those demons, Yusuke," Kurama pointed out with wry humor as Yusuke grinned.

"I guess you're right, fox-boy."

"Is all of demon world controlled by this Lord Raizen?" Anei asked, tossing another stick on the fire, which sparked.

"No," Kurama said. "I know there are two others, who divide most of the land between themselves, always ready to encroach on each other's borders but too cautious to make the first move, lest the other two gang up on them. I am not entirely certain who they are, though. Hiei would probably know more."

"This Hiei seems to know a lot," she said wryly.

Kurama shrugged apologetically. "It has been some time since I've been here. Even before I was born, Youko Kurama spent the last few centuries hiding in the human world from his many enemies."

Yusuke's eyes glinted. "Looks like you'll have to wait for short stuff to wake up so's you can ask him what you want to know. I don't know if he'll be as cooperative as Kurama, though."

A thin brow rose, but she made no reply, seeming to lose herself in her own thoughts. "I must be sure. The demon I'm looking for might be one of those other two lords."

"He's powerful then?" Kurama asked, pausing to look over Yusuke's tangled head at her. "This demon?"

"Yes." Her arms tightened around her knees, and she looked grim. "He was strong enough when I knew him, and that was five hundred years ago."

"Wait a minute!" Yusuke jumped up, throwing his hair back out of his eyes as he stared at her in open-mouthed shock. "Did you just say five hundred _years?"_

She seemed somehow to withdraw, her eyes turning dark as she drew in upon herself. Kurama could feel her energy sucking inside of her, as if she would cloak her presence as she used her long black robe to hide her face and form. The shadows of the night seemed to envelope her, making her hard to see, and he said sharply, "Stop that."

The shadows stilled and she jerked, caught off guard. "What?" She seemed truly puzzled, and he wondered how she could be. Could she not feel her power swirling around them?

Maybe she couldn't, for as suddenly as it was there, it was gone, as if by him calling her on it had jerked her out of something she had no conscious control over.

"You were trying to use the shadows to hide yourself. It won't work."

"What do you mean?" She was tense, her brows drawn down as she looked around pensively, as if the air itself held answers.

"What'd ya mean 'what do you mean?'" Yusuke growled down at her. "Even I could feel that, and I ain't got the spiritual sense Kurama does!"

It suddenly dawned on the fox, what she must have gone through, not knowing what she was and yet still burdened with it. _'Five hundred years. That would make her born at least in the Sengoku Jidai, before the barrier was erected. What manner of demon could she have known and how has she survived this long? She said she was a taiji-ya, though it seems impossible to me, I feel the truth of it, and Youko agrees. He has known them, in his long life, and she even sports a hairstyle popular back then for young women.' _He got a flash of memory of three giggling women, all naked in a room filled with pillows, their faces painted and their hair worn much as this woman's was, and felt a mocking laugh from his other, more demon self. Blushing, he looked away for a moment to gain control over his thoughts. Looking back at her, he felt pity stir inside of him, for she was huddled in on herself, her eyes holding a hint of some nameless fear, before she smoothed her features over into a bland expression that did little to cover the pensive sadness he now saw in her. Now that he knew what to look for, she was as easy to read as an open book, and he was gentle as he asked, "How much do you know about your demonic abilities?"

"I know enough," she replied, her voice sharp and overly strained.

"Heh," Yusuke snorted. "Now even I can tell that's a lie!"

"I don't need a _demon_ telling me--" Jumping to her feet, she paused in mid-snarl, her black cloak swept over one shoulder to expose her hand gripping the hilt of a sword as she suddenly froze. They all did, for none of them had seen him move, but from one moment to the next, the fire youkai appeared, the razor-sharp tip of his drawn sword pointed unflinchingly at her neck.

"Can someone please inform me just what the hell is going on around here while I slept?" The demon growled, his red eyes narrowed on the girl, who had yet to release the hilt of her own weapon.


	4. Chapter 4

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: Granted Kagura's heart by the surgeon Shigure, Sango has finally reached Makai after 500 years of waiting for her chance at revenge. But what awaits her in the demon realm? New friends or old enemies? (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews. Just-me172007, I might have to take you up on that awesome suggestion of a FMM. The more I write on this story, the more intriguing a three-way KuramaXSangoXHiei sounds. It's got my hentai juice all drooling. (leer) MeLaiya, thank you for your sweet review, and I can understand how having Sango called "Anei" can be distracting, but I promise there is a reason for it. :o) Fate _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

_**Chapter Three**_

"You can let go of your sword now, girl, whoever you are." Hiei's voice dripped with icy scorn as his sharp gaze flicked from her gripped hilt, then up to hers. She glared back at him, fingers tensing slightly as her knuckles whitened.

"Hiei--" Kurama stood up himself, not certain if he should be amused or alarmed at the sudden situation.

"Only a fool would dare," he hissed in warning, and her nostrils flared slightly as he pressed home his point by pressing the sword slightly harder against her white throat. Her eyes glittered and then glanced away, trying to spot some advantage she could turn to her own benefit.

"Won't work, you know," Hiei said almost conversationally, though his voice was cold, "I'm too fast for you, girl. You'll be shorter by a head if you try."

Yusuke had fallen over laughing, his fist beating the ground as he gasped on his own hoarse chuckles. "Oh, god, it's just too perfect!"

"Care to explain, human?" Hiei growled at him, still holding his sword steady.

"Yusuke, you're not helping," Kurama chided.

"God, can't you see it?" Yusuke wiped tears from his eyes. "Just look at them, both glaring at each other, their coats all swirling around like some bad melodrama on TV. What's even funnier, Hiei finally found someone his own size to pick on!" He fell over, holding his stomach as he howled.

"He's such a comedian." Hiei abruptly stepped away, dropping the point of his sword from the girl's neck. She drew back, one hand still on her hilt as the other disappeared within the folds of her cloak.

"You can go kill him now," he said with a poignant glare in the other boy's direction. "You have my permission."

"You're permission?" she hissed, eyes narrowing angrily as she flicked three metal-bladed stars between the fingers of her hidden hand, ready to throw them as needed.

Sheathing his sword, the fire youkai ignored her, looking to Kurama instead to explain. "Care to tell me what is going on?"

"Only if you promise to play nice!" Yusuke taunted, still laughing.

Both demons glared at him, before Kurama turned back to the girl with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Anei. Our friend Hiei is just a little bit protective."

"Hn." Hiei's red eyes swung back to rest on her, watching as she slowly straightened, her look still suspicious. Folding his arms, he leaned back against the tree behind him as her grip finally left her sword. She twitched away from Kurama's hand, which he had extended palm-up in her direction to show they meant her no harm. Fluidly turning the gesture into a casual wave in the others' direction, the urbane fox said smoothly, "Allow me to introduce everyone."

"That would be nice." Hiei's words were caustic, causing Yusuke to snigger and choke on a muffled guffaw. Glaring down at the Mazoku heir, the fire demon muttered, "Fool."

"Although this is a bit late, Anei, that is our friend Hiei. Hiei, this is Anei, a Spirit World agent--"

"Former agent," Sango replied sharply, neatly dropping the stars back into an inside pocket with hardly a ripple to betray the motion. Perhaps she was foolish to trust them, but she had given her word to the fox demon that she would not kill them. _For now. _

"Ah, yes, pardon me, a former Spirit World agent."

"Let me guess, you were one of those pathetic human detectives like Mr. Seizure over here?" Hiei sneered.

"Not--exactly," Kurama smiled.

"What do you mean, human?" Yusuke finally stopped laughing long enough to smirk. "What happened, Hiei, you're demon sense turn off with your energy? Can't you tell she's not all human?"

Eyes narrowing, the fire apparition expanded his senses. At first glance, the girl seemed nothing more than what she was--a girl, no matter how beautiful, still human and thus beneath notice. But as he continued to stare, she seemed to grow riled by his cold glance, and he suddenly felt an incredible aura leaping out of her in angry swirls of agitated energy.

"Hn." If he was reading her aura right, then she was some kind of wind apparition, but the signature seemed somehow blurry and indistinct. Never one to leave something unknown until he understood it fully, he concentrated, using his third eye to see her for what she truly was A faint green glow appeared behind the white bandana tied around his forehead, and her gaze fell on it, as if held in thrall by the shimmering iridescence.

Penetrating the outer picture of a short, slender girl with a stubborn chin and flashing brown eyes, he saw the distinct energy patterns that swirled around her, and was startled as he noted the demonic heart that beat inside her chest, the rhythm quickening as if she felt his sudden interest. He could see the demonic blood flowing through her veins, flooding the pathways of her body with a shimmering essence that fueled a mixed aura that was both human and demon, and yet of neither. Her energies seemed to flow around her, instead of through her, and he sneered, because the obvious answer was that she had no knowledge or control over them.

_How pathetic. What a waste. _Her untapped demon potential was something ridiculously strong, and something she was completely unaware of, unless he guessed wrong.

"Who gave you a demon heart and then never bothered to teach you how to use it?" he demanded, wanting answers.

"That is none of your business," she snapped, folding the edges of her cloak over her slender frame with a hard jerk.

Hiei's eyes narrowed at her defiance. Enforcing his command with telepathy, he snarled, "_Tell me." _

"Woah!" Yusuke stared from one to the other, taken aback by the hard look in the demon's eyes and the white, set face of the girl.

"_No_." Unbelievably, she defied him, wrapping herself in a barrier of protection by drawing her aura in almost by instinct. It was hardly elegant, with no touch of true awareness of what she was doing, but it was powerful. Powerful enough to shield her from his influence.

"Hiei!" Kurama laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Stop this. You're hardly reassuring her by demanding to know what she's about."

"Hell, Kurama, we've been trying to find that out for the last few hours!" Yusuke grimaced, running a hand through the messy tangles of his shorn head. Hair stuck out everywhere, curling slightly at the ends, and he wished he had a bottle of gel so that he could slick it back and get it off his forehead.

"Maybe we all have some explaining to do," Kurama said, trying to ease the tension as he sat back down on his tree root. "Please, sit," he invited, when the girl hesitated.

"Yeah, it's too dark to go anywhere right now." Yusuke sprawled beside him, idly picking at the grass and tossing it aside at random. Hiei remained standing, leaning against his chosen tree with no apparent intention of moving any time soon.

"How much do you know about us?" Kurama asked, green eyes imploring her to stay.

"Not much." Her expression was guarded, but she finally sat back down, folding her legs gracefully beneath her. The ends of her cloak pooled around her, melting into the shadows the orange firelight could not penetrate.

"So they sent you to kill me without even telling you who I am?" Yusuke looked staggered at the thought, though it might have been more from the fact that they hadn't thought it worth mentioning rather than the fact that they didn't.

"This grows interesting," Hiei muttered, eyes boring into the girl across from him.

"I know you are the descendant of a S-class demon, and that spirit world fears what your power will do in the Ningenkai. I know the SDF was sent to kill you, and when they failed, an assassin was sent to finish the job."

"An assassin?" Hiei growled.

"Anei is--was--a demon assassin in the King's employ," Kurama supplied, before turning his gaze back to the girl, who only shrugged.

"I wasn't the one ordered to go--that was Shi. I intercepted the message, and decided to take advantage of the opportunity."

"I see." Kurama nodded. "Koenma mentioned before he left--"

"You'll need to fill me in on that, too," Hiei said icily.

"My apologies, Hiei--"

"Oh, get off it. Sheesh, demon, you sure miss a lot whenever you pass out. Listen, Koenma and Kuwabara left on Puu to return to the human world. We decided to stay here and track down that ass hole who took over my body during the fight with Sensui--"

"What?" Hiei stiffened, his eyes glaring down at the sprawling boy.

"Damn--you slept through that, too?" Yusuke choked.

"Hiei, Yusuke told us that it wasn't he who fired that last blast of energy, killing Sensui. It was this ancestor of his, who seems to still be living somewhere here in demon world. He somehow took possession of Yusuke's body during the fight and finished it without Yusuke even being aware of what was happening."

"He possessed you?" Sango interrupted, her eyes intense. "Controlled your body, while leaving your mind unaware of what was going on?"

"Hn," Hiei smirked. "That would be easy enough, I should think, given the fact that you don't use have the wasted space in that thick head of yours, Yusuke."

"What was that, three eyes!"

"I said--"

"There would need to be some sort of tie between the one controlling the mind and the mind taken over, though," Kurama hastily interrupted their quarrel with a quick return to the topic at hand. "Perhaps it was your shared blood, Yusuke. How did you know it was your ancestor?"

"Hmph," Yusuke sneered. "I knew."

"You saw him?" Kurama pressed.

"Hell, yeah, I saw him!" Yusuke snarled.

"What did he look like?"

They all turned to the girl, who they had almost half-forgotten was still there. Her eyes were dark, her body taut as if her whole attention were focused on his answer.

"Shit if I know." Yusuke ran a hand through his short, tangled hair.

Her eyes widened, and then narrowed dangerously as the ex-detective grinned unabashedly. "Ha, ha--gotcha!"

Hiei and Kurama exchanged looks before the fox demon said dryly, "That was a little unnecessary, don't you think?"

Yusuke shrugged, still grinning. "How could I help myself? She was just so damn _serious_ about it."

"Yusuke." Kurama shook his head, both amused and impatient with the boy's insensitivity.

"Tell me--did he have long, wavy black hair and red eyes? Did he wear a mask, like the face of a white baboon? Did he have tentacles, or the limbs of an insect or spider?" The girl pressed, her voice harsh, her eyes almost black in their single-minded intensity. She sat tensed, as if for battle, and there was a darkening swirl to the shadows around her, as her demon energies coalesced around her in silent anger.

"What the hell? What kind of ugly-ass demon is that?" Yusuke looked appalled at the mental image conjured up in his brain.

"I take it, then, that was not what you saw," Kurama commented dryly.

"Hell, no, it wasn't!" Yusuke shuddered. "That blond hair-freak was bad enough without having some spider-monkey-baboon-thingie crawling around inside my head."

They stared at the girl, who had sat back, tension suddenly released. She seemed lost in her own thoughts, for she bit her lip and her expression grew remote. She nodded slightly, and then abruptly stood up in a single, fluid motion as she drew her black hood up to drape around her face and shoulders. Hiei's red eyes narrowed and Kurama raised a questioning brow, surprised by the suddenness of her action.

"Thank you," she said, bowing slightly, and then seemed to melt into the shadows just behind the flickering firelight from one moment to the next.

"Hey--wait a minute!"

Yusuke jumped to his feet, the protest hardly leaving his lips before Hiei interrupted with acidic amusement, "Don't bother, Detective. She's already gone."

"Well. That was sudden." Kurama blinked.

"Yeah." Yusuke's thick brows drew down. "And I don't like it."

"Hn. Not your concern," Hiei said, bored already with the useless topic.

"Perhaps." Kurama looked broodingly into the fire, green eyes troubled.


	5. Chapter 5

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: Granted Kagura's heart by the surgeon Shigure, Sango has finally reached Makai after 500 years of waiting for her chance at revenge. But what awaits her in the demon realm? New friends or old enemies? (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Boy, was this a hard chapter. I kept going back and forth over the end--which went a whole other way than what I had first imagined. I tried re-writing the chapter several times, but they were lame. Sometimes the characters just take up the story and leave you staring gimlet-eyed at the computer ready to stab the lot of them with plastic sporks. Poisoned plastic sporks. With sharpened teeth. And salt tossed on. No, I'm not mad. Not at all. Crazy, yes, but not mad. (eye twitch) _

_Thanks for the reviews!_

_Fate _

WARNING! DARK DESCRIPTION, MILD CURSING AND SPOILERS

_**Chapter Four**_

Slipping off into the night on soft steps that barely stirred the grass, Sango's mind churned with speculation as she continued to worry the problem over in her head. So, Naraku had not been the one to take over the detective's body, though the possession seemed similar to how the hanyou had always maintained control over her brother, Kohaku. The fox demon, Kurama, he had said there must be a tie between the possessed and the possessor--in Yusuke's case, it had been the tie of blood between him and his ancestor, whoever he was. In Kohaku's, it must be the Jewel shard embedded in his back that allowed Naraku to control him. She had always speculated that that might be the reason, but now she felt more certain, and it worried her, for the shard was not something that could ever be removed, for if it was, then Kohaku would die.

She felt a cold fear break out across her skin, leaving her clammy with sweat at the thought. _'No. I cannot think it. Kohaku is not dead. I know it. If he were, I'm certain I'd _know_ it somehow.'_

She had to hold on to that thought, because the other was just too unbearable. If she thought _that,_ then she would be lost, and the madness and despair would claim her with a vengeance, as they had, occasionally, in the past.

_'Madness. It's there, always waiting for me to give up, to give in. I won't. I_ won't!'

Lips thinning, her pace unconsciously quickened, as if she could outrun the demons of the darkness that had always chased her. Moving as a faint whisper between the darker shadows of the night, she shuddered at the fear that always nipped behind her thoughts. That the madness would creep up on her once more and take over her conscious mind so that she was again the shadow of a woman who drifted undying through the centuries, mind lost to despair as the anger and bitterness took their revenge on any hapless demon who crossed her path.

That was the price of Kagura's heart--this madness--for the wind demon's heart had been shaped from Naraku himself, and a part of him still resided within it. His red eyes would haunt her thoughts, glowing feral and hungry in the darkness of her nightmares, and she would be lost to it for a time, the waking world receding as she battled inside her mind to overcome the poisonous curse of his demonic influence. For she was influenced, by both the dark oni and the wind daughter he had created. Kagura's anger, her bitterness, her almost incessant thirst for freedom--those were her gifts as well. They had helped shape her into what she was, though it was her own burning need to avenge herself on the foul hanyou that had saved her, as well as her own strength of spirit that had allowed her to forge through the darkness and pull those new threads of influence into her own self-tapestry.

Would Kagome or Inuyasha even recognize her now? She wondered, and was almost glad that she might never know, for her promise to Shigure prevented her from ever seeking them out. She was almost thankful, then, for the evil demon's sinister price for giving her Kagura's heart, for she was saved the fear of it. And there was good among the bad of having the demon influence of both Naraku and Kagura within her own spirit, for the wind youkai's ability to distance herself from reality, to separate herself from others and the burden of their pain--that had helped her, Sango, to do the same.

It had helped just now, when she had felt the danger she was in, and the faint alarm at having been so open with those three demons, and so easily lulled by them into relaxing her natural guard when around others. It was frightening, actually, how easy she had felt with them, though they had probably not known it. Her people skills were more than a little rusty, and she had lost the easy familiarity of simple companionship with others of her kind.

Though they weren't of her kind, not really. They were demons, though she had lulled herself with the thought that Yusuke and Kurama, at least, were part human. Yusuke was what one could consider a hanyou, and Kurama, with his strange soul trapped within a human's body, was nearly the same. But that fire apparition, Hiei--he had been a full demon, with no 'taint' of humanity to mar the purity of his youkai blood.

Sango sneered. Demons were ever so full of themselves, considering themselves to be above their human counterparts. What fools they were. She had known humans more valiant and worthy than ever any demon could hope to be.

Not true. For she had known youkai, too, who were worthy, and although they had been few, they had been some of those closest to her heart. Her eyes burned, remembering her lost Kirara, and she dropped that memory like a hot stone, setting it inside the dark pool of her bitterest thoughts for a better time than this to deal with.

The truth was that Hiei had reminded her sharply just what it was she hated most of the demon-kin. He exemplified their darkest traits--the callous disdain and casual disregard for others, their arrogant superiority and innate feeling of entitlement--that the world had been created for simply their own pleasure. They were like animals, devouring all in their path, sending their darkness forth to wreak the chaos they enjoyed so much.

She loathed them for that, that belief that the world was their oyster, to devour or discard at will. It was anathema to her who had been raised to protect the helpless, to aid those weaker and…out-numbered…

She suddenly twisted to the side, ducking beneath the wide-spread branches of the nearest tree as she heard the faint whisper of wings above her. Her senses tingled, sending icy shards of dread down her spine as she felt the powerful cloud of evil menace pass over her. She dare not look up, lest she draw their attention with her pale face among the shadows, but she extended her senses, using the raw feel of the air stirred up by their wings to map their numbers.

There was a dozen or so, their hunger sending them questing through the night for the warmth of the fresh blood that they craved. They were sightless, blind of eye and vision, but could feel the warmth of their victims' blood as it pumped heat through their veins. They craved that warmth with an intensity almost shrill in its raw, aching hunger, and she shivered, glad for the spells cast upon her cloak that would hide her body's warmth from their questing. It was one of several protections, and while these were primitive demons, their dull minds only aware of hunger and rage, they were powerful adversaries, attacking in family groups until the last one was dead, so hard was their hunger and so dull their awareness but for the unceasing rage that fed them. Banshees, they were called by the men who had lived through such encounters, and the stronger varieties could freeze a man in place with simply a scream.

These flew silent, though, and Sango gave terse thanks to whatever gods had granted the blessing, even as she broke from under cover and ran back toward the three demons' encampment. For she knew what prey the evil birds hoped to dine on tonight, and knew with a dawning sense of dread how unprepared those men were to meet such a foe. The fox--he had said their defenses were low, and although she cursed under her breath for the instinct that had her running to go help three beings she could care less about, still she ran, for it was not in her nature to let them die, no matter who or what they were, without aid.

Twisting through the thick trees, she followed the birds' path, letting them guide her so she could focus her energy on running. Catching sight of the distinctive orange light of their fire in the distance--the one _she_ had lit--Sango snarled, for that was as sure a draw to the hungry banshee-youkai as the three males' own blood. Two of them were human, appealing in itself, but the third was a fire apparition, one who would be even more appealing than they with the heat of his fiery blood to draw their attention. No matter how much energy Hiei had regained from his sleep, Yusuke had still derided that arrogant, red-eyed bastard that his energy was still too low to even sense her own aura. That did not bode well for their chances, outnumbered and exhausted as the three were.

Carefully checking the arsenal strapped to her own body, Sango drew her sword even as she looked up to gauge the birds' progress above her. She had out-paced them, by only a few strides, and they were zeroing in on their target, wings expanding as they flew up in a spiral to gain height so that they could then dive in for the first kill with as much power as they could summon from the air.

She saw one of the three men suddenly look up at the sky with a frown. It was the fire demon, Hiei, who must have felt the evil aura rising above their small clearing. His gaze drew the fox's, who even stood up to scan the darkness above. The third one, Yusuke, just rolled over in the grass, making some snide remark she couldn't even hear for the wind rushing in her ears.

It was as if everything were in slow motion, for even as she saw the fire apparition and the fox both turn their attention sharply in her direction, she called up her energy--that air that always seemed to swirl around her, though she had no name for it but as something Kagura's heart had gifted her with--and threw it with all her might at the fire, which burned so cheerfully bright a beacon for the sightless birds' beckoning. Flames flew high in the rushing gale, flaring in protest before suddenly vanishing in a showering of spent sparks beneath the force of her summoned wind. Ashes flew up to dance with the rocks she had so carefully gathered, sending them scattering everywhere as if a giant hand had casually tossed them about. The detective was sent rolling over onto his face in the dirt--he jumped to his feet with a yell of protest as he spat mud. The fox demon had leapt clear of the debris, crouching on a low tree-limb up out of the way from what they _thought_ was the attack.

"Get down!" Sango shouted even as she charged into the clearing, one hand jerking free the long length of her cloak as the fire demon jumped down from another tree, drawing his sword and snarling, "_You!"_

Hearing the tell-tale whoosh behind him, Sango flung her cloak over the angry demon even as she slid past him. She felt something bite along her side, a shallow graze that would have gone deeper had the folds of her cloak not intercepted the youkai's sword and enveloped him in its folds.

_'That bastard cut me!' _Snarling, she callously used his body as a platform to leap off of so that she could strike at the raking talons of the descending banshee who had almost got him. There was a hiss and a faint shriek of rage as the attacker found his prey snatched out from under him. A razor-sharp beak snapped for her head, wings mantling as the hideous bird tried to gain lost altitude. Spinning in mid-air, Sango lobbed its ugly, naked head from its body, spearing a second bird who dove in to attack behind it on the end of her blade and using its own weight to swing herself back down on a tree-branch, which swayed alarmingly under her weight. Lightening the heaviness of her body with a touch of wind-granted buoyancy, she ran along the branch's length, shouting "Banshee!" in hoarse explanation as the rest of the flock suddenly swooped in with racking talons and gaping maws.

The battle was eerily quiet, but for their own grunts and shouts. The birds hissed in anger, their screams of thwarted rage and pain but the faintest of whispers. Sango had her hands full, fending off three of the bastards, who dove and snapped around her chosen tree. Dancing across the swaying branches with light steps, she tossed knives with abandon, barely able to see her silent adversaries for the swirling leaves and swaying brush around her. She heard yells below, and saw the fox snapping some kind of whip that sheared one banshee's wing off at the shoulder, sending it careening out of sight, uselessly trying to flap its single wing to slow itself before crashing into the dirt with a broken neck. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the detective leap up to an incredible height to punch one ugly bird right in the head with a nasty crunch of snapping bone. He didn't see the one behind him, its wicked talons ready to grab hold, but she was able to toss out those same metal-edged stars she had considered using on the fire demon earlier, hitting it in three sharp strikes along the eye and breast. It hissed in pain, and faltered long enough for the Mazoku to turn around and cave its head in with his fist with a smug yell of "Take that, you ugly ass vulture!"

Sango was too busy, then, to hear more, for the three who had been toying with her decided now was a grand time to attack all at once, and she took the expedient path of escape by diving off her tree. She let out a loud _"oof!" _as something solid struck her in mid-air, grabbing hold as she struggled, trying to kick at her unseen attacker even as he snarled, "Damn it, you fool!" as they tumbled gracelessly to the ground.

Red eyes flashed as she landed on her back--hard--and then were gone as he sprung back up to dispatch the banshee who had been about to impale her on its grasping claws before he knocked her out of the way. Gasping hoarsely, Sango rolled to her feet, diving out of the way as another bird angled in for the kill. Grasping her sweaty sword hilt in both hands, she spun with all her might, splitting the hissing youkai from shoulder to tail on her deadly blade and hissing herself when claws grabbed her thigh with bruising force before falling away. She felt another swoosh of air behind her, and spun to face it, but a tangle of green snapped out to catch the ravenous banshee from behind before she could do anything. Feathers and blood rained down, and she made a face as the head cracked into the earth mere feet from her, its open beak gouging into the turf to hold it upright in a weird parody of how it would have bit into her flesh.

There was the heavy slam of a body hitting the solid length of a sturdy tree bole, and Sango spun into a low crouch to face it, one of the last of her throwing knives in her hand as she kept her sword up in defense.

"Gotcha, ugly!"

There was another thunk, and then the bird's mangled body fell like a stone to lie at the base of the tree as leaves and broken twigs showered down with the ugly grey feathers. The clearing was suddenly quiet, the foul aura gone as the last of the youkai were dispatched with a whispered scream. Yusuke jumped down from the tree, kicking the mangled body at the bottom with a muttered expletive as Sango slowly straightened. Kurama appeared, the thorny length of his green whip spiraling around him in a lazy circle as he dropped to the ground in a graceful crouch, his red hair falling gently across his back and shoulders with a silky whisper. He looked up at her, his green eyes almost black in the darkness, though there was a faint glow surrounding him and his thorn whip, as his energy pulsed in the fevered aftermath of battle.

Shying on instinct, Sango danced to the side as a whisper of movement suddenly materialized into one very pissed off demon standing right beside her. Her sword, which she had raised by reflex, was met by the glittering, blood-drenched length of his, and he snarled, "What the hell were you thinking, woman?"

She blinked, and spun on her heel when he tried to force her back with his stronger weight. He followed the movement, keeping up the pressure as they spun in a full circle. Her arm shook from the strain of keeping him back, and he pressed his advantage of strength, but she managed to fend his blade off long enough for her to sweep her other hand, knife clenched tight in her sweaty palm, under his guard and against his side, the sharp tip pointed up toward his kidneys just under his ribcage. They froze like that, his eyes blazing as she snarled at him, "What the hell are you doing? I just saved you, you ungrateful jerk!"

_"Saved_ me?" His body was suddenly free of the danger of her knife as he shifted in a movement too fast for her to follow, and she stumbled back as his sword scraped along hers. "You could have gotten me killed, you little fool, when you threw your cloak over me!"

"I was only trying to protect you, demon!" She spat that like the foulest epithet. "I shouldn't--have--wasted--my time!" Her words were gasps as he pressed down with both arms, muscles bulging as he slowly bent her over backwards, almost doubled-over. She dropped her knife to use one hand as leverage to spin out from under him. The move would have allowed her to kick his feet out from beneath him with the sweep of her own--if it had been successful. Instead, she found herself spinning free, he having jumped back to avoid just that. He laughed, a harsh sound, and she flicked another dagger free as he charged back towards her.

"Hiei!" Kurama used his thorn whip to lash between the two of them. Sango jumped back, setting her shoulders against the nearest tree so they couldn't take her from behind as she squared her body, sword raised and knife held out for defense. Her breath came harsh, and her dark eyes glittered dangerously.

_"Try," _she snarled, ready for the attack and daring them to, the ungrateful bastards. Just like a demon to turn on one who had only come to their aid! Well, they wouldn't find her easy meat for the slaughter, she could guarantee that.

There was an abrupt laugh, and Sango glared as the Spirit Detective wagged his hand at her, the other one clutching his bare stomach as he wheezed. "Oh, gods, it's just too great!"

"And what do you find so funny, demon?" Sango bared her teeth, enraged that he would think to make fun of her, the crass jerk.

Flicking his whip back so that it curled into his hand, Kurama chuckled and even Hiei smirked, dropping his sword to point at the ground as he gave her an impatient look. "I'll speak slowly, girl, so you can understand. I'll even use small words. We won't attack you."

"We wouldn't dare!" Yusuke bellowed, before laughing again. "Ha, ha. Gods, that's funny! Did you see the look on her face? _'Try.' _Oh, god--I think she meant it!"

Sango grit her teeth, not dropping her guard for an instant. They were only toying with her, the sadistic bastards.

"Anei--we do mean it. We aren't here to fight you, in fact, we are grateful that you came to our aid." Green fire suddenly sizzled along the length of the whip curled in his hand, and it abruptly disappeared. "Your help was timely. We would not have faired so well without it."

"Hn," Hiei sneered, wiping his bloodied sword on the feathered ass of a dismembered bird before sliding it home in its sheath. "Speak for yourself, fox."

"Oh, come off it, three-eyes. She was only trying to save your worthless ass." Yusuke crossed his arms and grinned at her. "Though I do wonder why you tossed your cloak over him. It wasn't that great a shield--he still managed to cut you with his sword, though it doesn't look that deep--"

"Heh." Hiei looked rather pleased at the thought, his eyes catching hers with a smirk as hers narrowed.

"--so maybe that was it."

"You're hurt?" The fox demon looked startled, his green eyes moving over her body as he stepped forward.

"No." Sango reflexively twitched under the intensity of his gaze, and met his skeptical concern with unwavering stubbornness.

"Jumpy, ain't she?" Yusuke said, raking his fingers through his short hair as he smirked at her.

Casting a scowl in his direction, Sango abruptly sheathed her dagger in its place beneath her upper arm. Its twin was missing, still laying on the ground from where she had dropped it during the scuffle with the fire demon. Dropping her sword's point, she still held it ready, suspicious of their motives.

"I have a few salves--" Kurama pulled them forth, the small, clever packet neatly folded into the size of a wallet.

"I'm fine." Sango warily stepped away, though she still kept the three within her sights as she pulled a knife out of the next tree's trunk, where it lay buried half-way into the bole. Yanking it free, she tested the edge and frowned before sheathing it in the belt that she wore criss-crossed athwart her shoulders and hips. She felt a trifle stiff, her leg a little bruised, but otherwise fine, though her energy was low.

"Hn."

She glared at the demon's derisive snort, than automatically caught the retrieved dagger he threw her with unnatural speed and unnecessary force. She hissed as the hilt hit her palm, and fumed silently as he raised a smug brow. Smoothing her expression to one of icy indifference, she sheathed the knife with its twin under her bare arm, anchored by the band circling it above the elbow.

"Nothing wrong with her reflexes." Yusuke grinned, before putting his fists on his hips and glaring around their ruined campsite. The clouds had cleared above, casting a wan light across the body-strewn clearing. Spying a glint of metal, he went to go retrieve the small star-shaped weapon, and howled when his fingers bled from trying to pluck it free from the bird's skull.

"Ow! Damn star!" He kicked the bird, and almost kicked Sango, who had come up to retrieve the tiny weapons herself.

"Careful," she said absently, neatly freeing the three stars with a practiced flick of her wrist. Wiping the blood off of them, she pocketed them at her waist. Glancing at her drawn sword, she used the bird's body to wipe the blood from it as well before finally sheathing it. Scanning the clearing, she looked for the rest of her knives as Yusuke sucked on his fingers and scowled.

"So why the hell did you come?" He was irritated, by both her cool appraisal and her seeming sudden indifference. He didn't like how she did that. It was uncanny.

Ignoring his question, she said, "We should leave before other demons take notice of this place. The insects are already gathering."

"Hmph. That's not a problem." The fire demon crushed a buzzing annoyance between his fingers and then flicked it away with a sneer.

Sango made a face. God, that was disgusting. Spying another dagger buried in a nearby tree, she strode over to retrieve it as Yusuke accepted a Band-Aid from Kurama, who watched her move about with uncommon interest.

"You're slow," Hiei muttered, easily picking out the various arsenal she had tossed with seeming abandon around the glade. Glaring at the taiji-ya, who ignored him, he went to stand by his friends, arms crossed over his bare chest, having discarded his cloak with hers when she had thrown it over him.

Sango worked steadily around the clearing, counting as she assembled her collective knives and sheathing them with meticulous care. The bodies had started to smell, and she wrinkled her nose as she bent over to pull one out of a bird's eye. The three were muttering between themselves behind her, and she ignored them to use both hands to grasp the stubborn hilt and yank it free.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Now, that's a nice ass." Yusuke appraised the bent over slayer with a wicked smile.

"Hn." Hiei's red eyes flicked over her and then back to the ex-detective with a noncommittal snort.

Kurama lifted an ironic brow, but had to smile, for Youko agreed. The slayer did have a pleasing shape, both slender and lithe, which was revealed by her low-slung black jeans and the sleeveless turtleneck she wore. She was also bristling with more weapons than he had ever seen anyone carry.

"I thought Keiko had a nice ass," Yusuke continued, sotto voice, so the slayer wouldn't overhear him. He wasn't that much of an idiot.

"How is your energy?" Kurama abruptly asked Hiei, who frowned.

"Not as recovered as I would like." The fire demon scowled.

"Nor mine," Kurama grimaced.

"Is that a thong?"

They both shot the taiji-ya a disbelieving look, to find her not even bent over, but up in the tree, perched on a branch while pulling another knife out of the one above it.

Yusuke laughed, holding his stomach because it hurt so much. "Oh, god--you should see how far your eyes just bugged out!"

"Will you kill him or shall I?" Hiei's voice was dark with menace.

Kurama smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. Yusuke stopped laughing, seeing the look in them.

"Woah! Hit a nerve, there." A knowing grin started dawning on the Mazoku's face as he entertained the infinite possibilities of the sudden revelation. There wasn't much he could get Kurama on.

"I suggest, Detective, you leave well enough alone," Hiei warned, turning his head to look at the object of their discussion. She was back out of the tree, now kneeling over one of the ugly birds to turn it over with hardly a flinch. Lifting a stiffening wing, she pulled another knife free.

"Damn. How much silverware can one person carry?" Yusuke looked on in awe, rubbing the back of his head as he moved away from the other two. He dug his dirty bare feet into the thick grass, having discarded his one remaining shoe earlier that evening.

"She's looking for a demon," Kurama said, as if merely making an observation as the three of them watched her disappear around the tree.

"Hn." Hiei folded his arms.

"So are we," Kurama continued.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of the fire demon's mouth.

"Yeah. So?" Yusuke turned around, still oblivious.

"Perhaps we could search together." Kurama casually walked past him to pick up the smudge of thicker darkness that was wedged under a bush. Dragging it free, he shook the long length out even as Hiei plucked his own cloak from the bush's branches. Swirling it over his shoulders, the apparition settled it back into place with an impatient look as he noted how the fox demon's long fingers caressed the smooth cloth held in his hands.

"I thought that might be it," the fox muttered to himself, and Hiei raised a questioning brow.

"This cloak is be-spelled," Kurama explained with a light smile. "Which explains why, Hiei, she threw it at you."

"Charming." Hiei's lip curled.

"Hoped to kill him, did she?" Yusuke grinned.

"No, _she_ didn't." The girl suddenly appeared with a dark look. Holding out her hand for her clothing, she raised a thin brow when the fox demon didn't immediately give it to her. "Can I have my cloak back, please?"

"You have spells of protection woven into this cloth, don't you?" Kurama asked her.

"Yes." She folded her arms, looking wary.

"Heh. Spells are for the weak." Hiei met her flashing gaze with his own cool sneer.

"You knew the birds were blind and that they used infrared waves to track their prey," Kurama said, still holding the cloak.

Sighing, she relaxed her angry stance. "Yes."

"Your cloak is heat-shielding?" The fox's question was mild.

"And heat-sensitive," she replied, holding his green gaze.

"So, wait, you tossed it on Hiei because you thought he was going to fry your ass?" Yusuke demanded, letting out a laugh at the thought.

"Very funny, Detective," Hiei snapped.

"No, Yusuke. Anei thought to shield him." Kurama did not drop her gaze, even though he addressed his words to the former detective. "He's a fire apparition, and the thermal temperature of his blood is higher than a regular demon's."

"I'd say." Yusuke grinned. "A real hot-head, Hiei."

"You will keep your foolish comments to yourself, Detective, if you know what's good for you." The fire demon fingered his hilt, though Yusuke was unfazed by the empty threat.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, three-eyes." He grinned down at the red-eyed demon with a fond look.

"You knew the banshee youkai would go after Hiei first." Kurama told the girl, who remained silent. "You sought to protect him."

Hiei growled, eyes narrowing. "I didn't need your protection, girl."

She snorted, which had them all widening their eyes in surprise. Stepping forward, she neatly nipped her cloak out of Kurama's hands and set it across her shoulders in a single, fluid motion. Drawing the edges together, she snapped them closed at the throat and stepped back. "We're done here."

"Not entirely," Hiei growled. She ignored him, merely nodding to the other two. Yusuke, knowing she was about to pull that creepy, melt-away-into-the-shadows disappearing trick of hers, shot a hand out to grab hold of her arm to stop her. She stiffened up like an old, used hanky and he met her angry gaze with a mocking smile.

"Does this mean you don't wanna come with us?"

"Let. Go."

"Woah!" Yusuke snatched his hand back as if burned. Raising both with fingers spread in mock surrender, he grinned cheekily at her. "So you don't like to be touched. I get it."

Her eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in their dark depths as her hand found the hilt of her sword.

"Pity." The detective's grin widened as she shot him a dirty look.

"Yusuke, you're not helping." Kurama sighed.

"Does he ever?" Hiei demanded dryly, and the fox's lips quirked.

"Hey!"

"I travel alone." The words were sharp and poignant, her voice icy as her eyes glittered.

"Boh-ring." Yusuke waved a negligent hand, making a face at the horrible thought. "I would drive myself nuts if I was alone all the time."

"So you choose to drive us nuts instead?"

"Damn it, three-eyes! I'm gonna--"

"You seek a demon." Kurama spoke to the girl, and did not flinch as her sharp gaze slid to his. "You know we do as well. We could help each other."

"No, thanks." She turned away, flipping her hood up and preparing to leave.

"We have the Jagan."

She paused, shooting him a startled glance over her shoulder as Hiei growled.

_'Just what the hell are you doing, fox?' _The fire demon sent the unflappable redhead, who just smiled slightly.

_'Just--let me. Please.' _Kurama did not beg; that was not in his nature. Hiei glowered, not liking it one bit, but the fox had earned his trust, something not that easy to do, and so he let it lie. He just hoped Kurama had more in mind than attracting a nice piece of ass, as the detective had so boorishly put it.

"The Jagan Eye?" She turned back towards them, her voice carefully neutral.

"You are a bigger fool than I took you for, if you could not tell I am a Jaganshi," Hiei sneered, his third eye glowing slightly behind the white bandana he kept over it.

"Why?" she demanded, the question a good one.

"Entertainment." Yusuke grinned smugly at the fox's rather bland look.

"Entertainment?" she repeated, her voice cold as she withdrew into herself once more.

"Ah, hell. Why not?" Yusuke folded his arms. "You're not a half-bad fighter--for a girl--and those two are still low on energy, though the three-eyed freak would never admit it, would you, Hiei?" He met the fire demon's scowl with a cocky smirk. "Besides, you helped us. We should return the favor. We're both here doing the same damn thing, so why not do it together?"

The girl was silent, clearly churning the thought over in her head as they watched her. She finally turned to Hiei, her brown eyes narrowed. "The Jagan. I know it can range a powerful distance, but how can you "see" something when you don't even know what to look for?"

Hiei sneered at the oblivious answer. "I can't."

"Then you can't help me." She looked somewhat relieved by that fact. "Thank you for the offer, but--"

"Do _you_ know what it is you seek?" Kurama interspersed himself, green eyes intense.

"Revenge," she replied, a wealth of turbulent emotion in that single, whispered word.

"Hn," Hiei sneered. "How typical."

She stiffened at the slight but only raised her chin, her words icy as she drew herself up to go. "Again, I thank you for the offer, but no. I can find--"

The fire demon was suddenly upon her, pinning her arms to her sides at the elbow with the hard, iron band of one of his own. She gasped in outrage even as the calloused fingers of his right hand feathered over her face, pushing aside the thick curl of her bangs so he could grip both sides of her temple between thumb and pinky. She struggled violently, letting out an incoherent cry of rage when he forced her to her knees with a hard shove.

"Hiei!" Kurama and Yusuke shouted at the fire demon, who ignored them.

_'Show me!' _He plunged into her mind, thinking to force the memory up from her subconscious, but it was there, at the forefront of her thoughts, which churned wildly in all directions at the sudden intrusion. The red eyes that bore into hers had recalled another's, and he flinched, as she did, at the memory of pain, the shadow of which sent a dull echo across his back, right between and just below his shoulder blades. A face flashed across her mind, a boy's face, with empty eyes and fresh blood dripping from the chained scythe held up in his hand, as if raised for another blow. She screamed inside his mind, rage and fear mixed together with a burgeoning sense of utter rejection.

_'GET OUT!'_

He flinched at the raw power of her command, and snarled, summoning the face of the demon forth from the turbulent rage of her thoughts. There was an insane laugh, a hoarse mockery of derisive scorn. It was called up from the deepest pit of her memories, and she mentally screamed, a heart-wrenching sob of pain and terror and utter loathing amid the inhuman rage and denial. A name formed from her mind to his, and he repeated it.

_'Naraku--'_

_**'NO!'**_

He was abruptly plunged back inside his own body, and he staggered back as she launched herself at him, fingers crooked as if she would tear him apart with her frail, human nails. Hiei grabbed her wrists in his hands, and then howled when her knee found his most tender area. Muscles quivering in reaction to the pain, his eyes flashed bloodily as he snarled, his fangs appearing as the demonic rage took over.

"Holy shit." Yusuke's mouth fell open, seeing the flash in her own eyes, which were crazed with the fever of uncontrolled youkai rage. "They're going to kill each other!"

Kurama's voice was hoarse, the demonic energy swirling around the clearing summoning up his Youko side in answer. He fought it back, trying to keep a reign on his rising emotions as Yusuke darted in, fist flying in a short, sharp jab to the girl's temple. She crumpled beneath the blow, and the ex-detective followed it up with a second to the fire demon, who only moved aside, rolling out from under her and leaping to his feet as his rage found another victim.

_'Hiei!' _Kurama called out sharply, and the demon paused, his glowing eyes dimming slightly before he fell to his knees in sudden exhaustion.

_"Damn."_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: _(Man, I keep forgetting this thing, maybe because it's just so depressing!) _I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews! I know that was an evil cliffy (mwa-ha-ha-ha) and this chapter is a little short, but I wanted to punch it out. Thanks again! Fate _

WARNING! ALUSIONS TO CERTAIN BODY PARTS AND SARCASTIC, MANIPULATIVE DEMONS ( MAN, THAT'S HAWT ;0P )

WORD DEFINITIONS

Hentai - pervert

Vulpine - typical of or resembling a fox

_**Chapter Five**_

"Damn bugs." Yusuke swatted one away with an angry frown.

"We should leave this place," Kurama said tiredly, looking toward the fire demon who still sat on his knees beside the sprawled form of the unconscious girl. "They're attracted to the dead bodies of the banshee youkai."

"Gods, that's gross." Yusuke extended a hand to the fire demon. "You okay, three-eyes?"

"I'm fine." The voice was hoarse but sharply acidic. Hiei looked up at him, his crimson eyes no longer glowing with youkai rage, but still hard and angry, although it was more for his own loss of control than anything else. He accepted the Mazoku's hand to help him to his feet and offered tersely, "Thanks."

Knowing it was for more than just helping the demon up, Yusuke grinned feebly. "Not a problem."

Kurama knelt next to the girl, turning her over so that he could examine her temple. The darkness intensified as the clouds thickened across the wan sky once more, but his vulpine sight was keen and still able to penetrate the deep shadows. "It's already healing. She won't be out long."

"Great." The word was sour as the ex-detective grimaced. "She's really gonna be pissed when she wakes up."

"Knocking her out after raiding her mind against her wishes will hardly have reassured her as to our intentions," Kurama seethed, angry at the situation caused by the ill-thought actions of his friends.

"I got what I needed," Hiei growled, as if that were excuse enough.

"You could have gone about it better," Kurama snapped back. The other two stared at him, surprised by the show of emotion from the usually cool and collected fox. Fighting his anger, Kurama collared it and shook his head. "I hope it was worth it."

"Not entirely," Hiei abruptly admitted, expression troubled.

"Woah!" Yusuke drew back, hands held up to ward off shock. "Are you guys okay? 'Cause you sure are acting weird!"

"We're fine, Yusuke," Kurama said, shifting the limp girl so he could lift her up in his arms.

"Wait." Hiei stalked over and laid a stalling hand on the fox's shoulder. Kurama looked up, as surprised by the touch as he was the urgency in the demon's terse voice. He started when the fire demon abruptly snapped the taiji-ya's cloak open, yanking the sides apart so they spilled over Kurama's supportive arm. "Lean her forward, I need to see something."

Kurama frowned, but did as requested, gently moving the girl so her bowed head nestled just beneath his in the crook of his shoulder so that he could see what had the apparition so insistent and tugging at the back of her black shirt.

_'You think this really necessary?' _He couldn't help chiding the black-haired demon mentally as Yusuke's mouth fell open.

"Hiei! What are you doing?"

"Be quiet, fool," Hiei growled, at either or both, Kurama didn't know. _'I must see for myself.'_

That mental aside kept Kurama quiet as Hiei shoved the taijiya's shirt up and out of the way, cursing under his breath as the crossed knife-belts got in his way. Unable to push her shirt up further, the youkai settled for slipping his hand up her spine and under the constricting belts, to touch across the roughened star-shaped scar with a grimace.

"What are you looking for?" Kurama queried in a terse whisper.

"Feel." Grabbing hold of the fox's right hand with his free one, Hiei guided it along her back as he slid his other hand to the side to hold the weapons-harness out of the way. Kurama blinked as the smooth skin gave way to the roughness of an old injury, and he skimmed his fingertips along the edges, mapping the large wound with dawning awe.

"What caused that?" he demanded, staring at the red-eyed demon, who shook his head.

"I'm not totally certain, but I think it was somehow this demon she's looking for, this Naraku--though it might have been someone else."

"Naraku." He reluctantly slipped his hand free as he turned the name over in his mind. It didn't call up anyone he knew, from Youko's memory or his.

"What the heck are you two hentai doing?" Yusuke stomped over to them. "Holy crap, are you feeling her up?!"

"No," Hiei snapped, jerking her shirt back down to cover the white skin of her lower back.

"Quiet, Yusuke. Do you want her to wake up?" Kurama demanded in a sharp whisper, senses still tingling from the contact of her skin. It had been smooth, like silk, lightly goose-bumping under his touch until the rougher scar had intercepted his path.

"Too late," Hiei said, sitting back on his heels with a mocking grin as Kurama stiffened, eyes going wide as he felt something brush a little too close for comfort.

"Move one inch, and I'll chop it off."

Yusuke blanched, reflexively touching his own just to reassure himself it was still there and not in any immediate danger.

"Don't you think this is a little…" Kurama coughed as the sharp edge pressed against his thigh. Desperately trying to gather what dignity he could--given the circumstances--he tried another tack, by letting his arms fall from around her and holding his hands up in surrender.

"Excessive?" Hiei helpfully supplied.

"Evil?" Yusuke winced in sympathy for the trapped fox.

"Miss Anei--" Kurama shifted uncomfortably when she got to her knees, still holding her knife steady beneath his over-robe as she glared around her.

"Sorry." She didn't sound like it, though she was blushing as his body betrayed him and stirred with sudden interest as her knuckles accidentally grazed him. Kurama flushed and thought of icy water and ugly men, taiji-ya rage and sudden dismemberment. That finally did the trick, and he was never so thankful for being in such an embarrassing predicament.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

_'What now?'_

Sango felt incredibly embarrassed and angry, at both herself and at them, for causing such a distasteful situation. She had never been this close to a man's--thigh--and although she knew she would do it if she had to, she didn't want it to be this way. It was hardly a fair situation, especially for the fox, who had actually been nothing but kind to her, but one does what one must when one's back was up against a wall.

Though the threat was good enough to hold all three men frozen, still it sat sour in her stomach, and she was more than ready to leave. Fumbling for her cloak with one hand, she kept her other steady under the fox's light green over-robe. She met his eyes briefly, and then looked away, not liking the haunting sense of unfairness in her gut or the look of resignation in his.

_'Time to go.' _It was more than time to go. She didn't trust any of these demons, especially the Jaganshi. She could feel his red eyes boring into her back, and she turned her head long enough to snarl, "Stay back, or he's done."

"Hey--can't we just talk about this?" Yusuke held up his hands in a plea for understanding. "Hiei's an ass hole. We all know it, and we can only apologize for him attacking you and doing whatever it was he did to you--remind me to kick your ass, three-eyes--but we _are_ sorry--"

Sango could only stare at him, shaking her head at his obliviousness. She had just been mind-raped by a demon, one of his friends, and he thought they could just talk about it? How dense was he?

"No, thanks," she spat, and then slid free and off of the fox's lap in an abrupt movement. She reversed the dagger, ready to throw it as needed, and flatly warned as the fire demon stood up, "Don't even try to stop me. I'll kill you before you can move."

His cynical smile didn't reach his eyes.

Sango's gaze swept to the other two, pausing regretfully on the fox, who still sat sprawled on the ground, his green eyes intent beneath the fiery bangs that appeared but a darker shadow against the paler complexion of his face in the late night darkness. Gathering the shadows--which was harder than before, as her energy had been drained somewhat during the fight with the banshee--she prepared to leave, but was stopped as the fire demon suddenly spoke.

"So tell me, who's the boy?"

ooOOooOOooOOoo

The girl froze, her eyes going wide before she whipped back around to face him with a snarl, "What boy?"

"The one I saw in your mind. The one with the empty eyes." Hiei looked smug as she hissed. _'Got you.'_

"Hiei--" Kurama cautioned, still sprawled on the ground just a few feet away from her. He looked a little disheveled, something quite out of keeping with his normally impeccable neatness. He was probably still reeling a bit from the threat to his manhood. Hiei mentally winced, but growled to him alone, mind to mind, _'Don't interfere, fox.'_

"Kohaku…" the girl whispered, more to herself than to them.

"Is that his name?" Hiei folded his arms across his chest, his eyes boring into hers. "Tell me--was he the one who attacked you?"

She stiffened, her brown eyes narrowing. There was anger there, and a flash of vulnerability, quickly hidden. "No."

"Liar."

Her lips thinned, the flash of her dark eyes glittering with anger at his denial.

"What else did you see?" she snarled, drawing herself up as if she were about to attack him.

"Enough," he replied, eyes boring into hers, though that was a lie, too.

The muscles in her bare arms flexed, as if she were strung as taut as a bow, and then releasing herself. "Doesn't matter. I'm leaving. Now." And turned to do just that.

"I can find him."

She froze.

"Hiei…" Kurama cautioned in a low voice.

"Gods, I hope you know what you're doing, three-eyes." Yusuke rubbed a hand over his face as he muttered that low curse.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"How?" The word was hoarse, a wealth of raw pain wrapped inside of it. Kurama could feel it circling inside his gut, settling like a stone, and he could only feel pity for the girl who stood braced as if against a storm.

"Are you really that much a fool?" Hiei's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I have the Jagan, remember?"

Kurama winced, his thoughts echoing Yusuke's words. _'I hope you know what you're doing, Hiei.'_

"You can find him?" Her head was bowed, her thick bangs hiding her expression. Her knuckles were white on the dagger she still held.

"If he is there to find." Kurama met Hiei's eyes, and a brief flash of understanding passed between them.

'_So. You do know what you are doing. Clever, Hiei. But why?'_ Kurama sent him, puzzled by that. The fire demon was never one to be so helpful.

_'He's her brother,' _Hiei growled into his mind, as if that explained everything, which it did. The fire demon had spent long years searching for his twin sister, Yukina, and if anyone would understand what drove this strange young woman, than he would.

Still, there was a lot left unknown, and Kurama did not like that fact. He wished he knew more than just the fact the taiji-ya was looking for a demon named Naraku and her brother, who had somehow wounded her, and wounded her badly enough that the scar covered a good sized portion of her otherwise unblemished skin.

"Why?" Her voice was harsh, demanding.

"That's something I'd sure like to know," Yusuke growled, fists balling at his sides. He gave both demons a piercing look, which they returned with bland innocence, which frustrated the hell out of him.

"Hn," Hiei sneered. "Does it matter?"

"Yes."

Kurama raised a brow, amused at the girl's bluntness and the dark look in Hiei's gaze.

"I have my reasons," the demon said, which was more than Kurama expected.

"And they are?" she pressed, look sharp.

"None of your business," Hiei snapped.

Yusuke let out a sharp bark of laughter, recalling her own refusal to explain where she had gotten her demon heart to the angry apparition. "Ha! He's got you there, lady!"

She scowled. It was rather sweet.

Kurama blinked at the thought, a rather unusual one for him. But he had been acting strangely around her since first they met. He decided that would bear further thinking on, when he had more leisure to do so. Standing up, he brushed the dust from his robes with a fastidious hand, noting wryly that she had reacted to his standing by drawing back. Back to that, were they? Well, he could hardly blame her for being skittish. Hiei had managed with his typical thoroughness to destroy what little trust they had built between them.

"Look, can't we hash all this shit out somewhere else?" Yusuke interrupted, jerking his head at the various demon insects who were busily gathering around the dead birds strewn everywhere around the clearing. "They're starting to stink."

Kurama smiled faintly. Leave it to the detective to point out the obvious. He looked at the girl, wondering if she would go so far enough with them to talk somewhere else, but somehow not doubting that Hiei's strange offer wouldn't be bait enough. Still, he could add to the pot. "Hiei will need time to recover his strength, as do we all. He cannot use the Jagan until his energy is restored, and I, for one, would prefer to do it somewhere else."

"So, can we call a truce?" Yusuke demanded, impatient with how long it was taking just to leave.

The slayer took too long to mull it over in her mind. A grin broke over the Mazoku's face as Hiei's eyes narrowed in a scowl.

"Fine." The word was pulled from her through grit teeth and snapping eyes. Kurama felt a sudden relief to the gathered tension, though she managed to snap that back with her next mutter. "For now."

"Ha!" Yusuke crowed. "Damn, girl, I'm starting to really like you--just for the way you can get those two all worked up!" He jerked his thumb at the two demons, who glowered.

_'Do you ever have the desire to just kill him?' _Hiei's growl echoed inside his mind.

_'Frequently,' _Kurama sighed. _'Not that it would do any good. He would just come back to life again. Inconvenient, that.'_

"Hn." The fire demon suddenly grinned, though the others couldn't know why.

Unabashed, Yusuke just shrugged off the annoyance of not knowing what had the demon in such a sudden good mood. "So, we're all agreed. A truce--for now," he smirked, "--until we get someplace else so we can all talk and recover. Deal?"

"Deal." Her voice was hard, the word grudging.

"Your word?" Yusuke pressed, just because he wanted to see how riled up she could get.

Kurama sighed. The Spirit Detective was not the most sensitive or diplomatic person he had ever met.

"Given," she snapped, and turned sharply around to stalk away from them.

"Hey! Wait up!" Yusuke called, and took off after her.

No, he wasn't the most sensitive, but he was effective. He had gotten the girl to grudgingly agree, at least, to a short-term truce. _'For now.'_

The corner of his mouth turned up in ironic amusement as the fox turned to follow, the fire demon falling into silent step beside him.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer:I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I AM SO GOING TO DRAGON-CON!! Holy crap, I just needed to shout that out because holy hot pistachios! My sass is going to be in Atlanta over Labor Day and I am so going to meet Anne McCaffrey and I am so going to have the time of my life at the best all-con ever!_

_(cough)_

_Resuming dignity now. _

_Oh, hell, flock it. I am so excited I'm squeeing like a Sessy-fangirl who just got to stroke his furry boa. (Not the only thing I wouldn't mind stroking on that sexy not-so-little demon lord…)_

_Enough of me…on with the story!_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

WORD DEFINITIONS

Naraku - hell

_**Chapter Six**_

_"I can find him."_

If he could, than even _this_ would be worth it.

Wait--if _this_ was so bad, than why was she bothering?

She didn't know, and couldn't answer that question, even for herself, and so she ignored it, and kept walking, knowing they followed her grudging lead as she tromped through the woods--what had the fox called it? The Forest of Fools? How appropriate.

She felt like a fool. This truce--or whatever the hell you called it--went against every solid argument her distrustful mind could come up with, and still she stayed, sworn word or no. Perhaps it was atonement for putting the fox in such an embarrassing position earlier, perhaps it was just curiosity, to see if that red-eyed jerk would actually do what he said he could. Perhaps it was just the Mazoku, who so achingly reminded her of Inuyasha. Perhaps she was just a fool who never learned.

Perhaps it was none of those, and something else entirely--her treacherous, weaker self just tired of the loneliness and the empty memories that were cold comfort to the realization of her quest's possible end. Maybe she was just seeking something, anything, to distract her from thinking about it--about her brother, and her friends, the rage and the hate. It was a disturbing thought, and one she shied away from. Revenge was all she had, was all she needed. Nothing else. _Nothing_.

If the fire demon could help her find it faster, than all for the better. For once she had Naraku in her sight, than it would all be worth it. Every damn single moment and every single damn sacrifice. Revenge was all that mattered, nothing else--except to free her brother. That would be her reward. Naraku's bloody death would just be icing on the cake.

"Wow, you're quiet."

Sango said nothing, only flicking her eyes to the detective who had drawn up beside her. He had his hands in the pockets of his torn jeans, as if they were strolling through a park, rather than a menacing demon's woods in the middle of the night. He was downright incorrigible.

"So, tell me, how long have you worked for old diaper-pants' father?"

Unbelievable that he wanted to make conversation. He must be bored. He seemed a little A.D.D.

She ignored him, withdrawing into herself with icy disdain.

"You know," he looked at her, a glint in his brown eyes, "I could keep talking, and you could keep ignoring me, but then I could talk about whatever the hell I want to. Like how nice a rack you got."

Sango stopped dead in her tracks.

He grinned, tossed her a wink, and sauntered past. He even started whistling, as if he had just won the round.

_'Jerk.'_

"You must pardon Yusuke. He's not the most politic."

She turned to glance at the fox, who had come up from behind, the fire demon his silent shadow. Tossing her head with a poignant glare, she stalked on after the sauntering perv, who continued whistling an off-key tune that made her wince. _'Correction: Inuyasha was never _that_ much of a jerk.'_

Miroku, maybe, but not Inuyasha.

She squelched that thought, and ignored the two who now trailed her so closely. What was with guys anyway? Damn, but they were irritating!

"Hey, guys!" The detective abruptly stopped way up ahead of them and turned to wave. "I think I found us a cave!"

"With our luck, something's probably already taken up residence there," Kurama murmured dolefully.

"He wouldn't just walk in--" Hiei growled, then let out a gusty sigh. "He would. Idiot."

There was a roar, one that shook the very ground beneath them. Sango tried to brace herself against the shuddering under her feet and stiffened when she felt the fox's hand curl over her elbow to help steady her. He let go as quickly as she scowled, and was already running for the cave-mouth, where another roar of fury sent leaves scattering off the nearest trees. There was a faint shout, and Sango ran after the fox, the fire demon seeming to vanish into thin air as he took off.

"SPIRIT GUN!"

Sango held up an arm to shield her eyes against the sudden flash of glaring white light that flared from the cave's mouth. It was like a florescent light-bulb had just been seared across her inner eyeballs, and she reflexively crouched back behind a tree, eyes watering as her dizzy vision shot rainbows across her retinas. Cursing the idiot under her breath, she gripped the hilt of her sword as she felt hands curl around her shoulders.

"Blink, it helps." It was the fox, and she tensed as he helped her back up to her unsteady feet.

"What was he thinking?" the fire demon growled somewhere to her right.

"Can you see, Hiei?" the fox said somewhere above her head.

"Of course," the demon retorted. "I know enough to close my eyes when that fool starts shooting."

"Hey, guys! Cave's cleared!"

"Peachy." Sango couldn't hold back a faint smile at the apparition's dark mutter.

"Are you all right?" She felt a light thumb trail across her wet lashes in inquiry and she jerked away from the surprisingly tender gesture.

"I'm fine," she snapped, escaping his loose hold and nearly knocking herself against the tree behind her. There was a derisive laugh from the fire youkai, and she sent him an icy glare (in what she hoped was his direction) before using her fingers to trail around the tree's thick trunk. She could feel the fox following her, still concerned, and she blinked harder, trying to regain her vision. The darkness was hard to pierce after so brilliant a flash, and she finally stood still long enough to recover her sight.

"What's taking y'all so long?" She could suddenly see the Mazoku, hands on his hips, as he confronted them.

"You are an idiot," Hiei growled, before vanishing. He reappeared by the cave's entrance, where she could barely make out his darker shadow disappearing into the black maw of the rocky verge.

"What was it you killed?" Kurama asked, and Yusuke shrugged.

"A bear, I think, except it had three eyes and some type of weird armor, like pieces of a turtle's shell. Craziest bear I ever saw. It wasn't too happy about me barging in without knocking." He grinned unabashedly. "Anyways, coast's clear now."

"How convenient." The dry irony was lost on the former Spirit Detective, and so Kurama turned back to Sango, who just watched them with a faint frown. She wouldn't meet his eyes, and shrugged. She suddenly felt tired and was more than ready to get off her feet. It had been a long day, full of more surprises than she really cared for.

Ignoring them, she stalked to the cave, nimbly jumping past the outcropping of stones that thrust up through the grassy knoll it rested upon. The trees grew right up to the hill's base, and moss must have once overhung the entrance as it did the roof, before the detective's energy blast had blown it away. She didn't like the thick darkness of the cave itself, or the stink of charred bear and old musk that still lingered like a fetid blanket across the entrance, but refused to hesitate while the others were watching.

Sauntering in, she almost tripped over a stone in her path, and did fall right against a warm wall of solid muscle. "Umph!"

"Watch where you're going, fool." The red eyes she looked up into were glowing faintly in reaction to the darkness. She couldn't see anything else, but could fancy his disdain as he pushed her upright. His hands lingered a bit too long, though, on her shoulders, and she distanced herself with a growl.

"Won't happen again, I can promise you that." She felt the curve of wall behind her, and put her back to it. Inching further along the wall in order to make room for the other two who would be following her in, she went a good dozen steps before slumping down to the floor. They sure found the most inconvenient spots to make camp.

"Damn, I can't see a blooming thing in here." The detective's grumble echoed around the small chamber.

"Anei?" It was the fox again. It was disturbing how concerned his voice sounded.

"She's over there, against the wall," Hiei growled. "She'll be asleep in a moment, if I read her energy right."

Sango blinked, irritated even as she stifled a yawn. Damn demon was right. Funny how it had suddenly hit her, after the fever of battle had worn off. She had used more of her demon energy than she had ever done before, in both blowing out the fire before the banshee-birds' attack and fending off that damn youkai who had climbed inside her head. The remembrance should have made her angry, but it didn't. She was too tired to think right now…it could wait for the morning…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Did she just pass out?" Yusuke did a double-take as his eyesight adjusted to the inky darkness, finally revealing the slumped-over slayer on the far side of the cave. "Damn, Hiei, she's just like you."

Hiei didn't bother making a comment, only stalking over to the other side and settling himself against the wall. Kurama debated a moment, before joining him. He didn't want to wake up with another knife to the groin.

Yusuke grinned, and went to sit on the slayer's side, though he put a good, safe distance between them. Leaning his shoulders against the solid stone behind him, he wished he had a pillow. Hell, a blanket and a good, soft mattress wouldn't be such a bad thing, either. He cracked a yawn, letting the tight muscles in his back and shoulders go one by one as that old hag Genkai had taught him.

He heard a light snore to his right and glanced over at the slumped girl with a chuckle. "Wow. She snores."

"Delightful." That sour opinion came from the fire demon, who was only a glowing pair of fiery eyeballs across from him.

"Heh." That noise was Kurama's amused snort. It was much like Hiei's signature "Hn." Annoyingly vague and useful in any circumstance. Stupid demons. Yusuke yawned again, thinking the girl had the right idea. Drawing his knees up, he crossed his arms and leaned his head on them, his louder snores soon joining Anei's in the quiet darkness.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"They're exhausted," Kurama said lightly.

"Humans are weak," Hiei answered, as if that explained it.

"Neither of them is truly human anymore," Kurama pointed out.

"Hn."

The fox leaned his head wearily against the wall, wrinkling his nose at the fetid aroma of ripe bear in the cave. It was better, at least, than the ripe smell of rotting bird-youkai. Closing his eyes, he said simply, "Tell me what you saw. In her mind."

"Hmph." He felt Hiei stir beside him, heard the scrape of his boots on the stone floor as he drew his legs up to rest his arms on his bent knees. "Not much. She shielded herself well, for a novice." The compliment was given grudgingly. "But I saw this demon she's seeking, this Naraku."

"A rather melodramatic name," Kurama noted dryly.

"Typical arrogance for a demon who probably isn't all that powerful. I've never heard of him. Have you?"

"No." Opening his eyes, Kurama frowned. "And neither has Youko. But he was not in the human world during the Sengoku Jidai."

"The Sengoku Jidai?" Hiei was skeptical.

"Yes. Anei was a human taiji-ya in the Warring States Era. I don't know how she gained the heart of a wind youkai, that's as much a mystery as to why she's been tracking a demon for five hundred years."

"That's a long time," Hiei growled. "I would think she'd prove more capable than that."

"She hasn't been able to cross the kakai barrier. From what I can deduce, Spirit World has prevented her from even getting close to it."

"Hn."

"Yes," Kurama agreed. He was silent for a long time, than asked, "What about this brother of hers, Kohaku?"

"I saw his face. And I felt her anguish and terror." The fire demon was quiet for a moment. "And a lot of anger. A _lot_ of anger."

Kurama mulled over the few things she had revealed. "I wonder if this demon Naraku possessed him."

Hiei shot him a look, then nodded as he grasped the connection between the girl's questions about Yusuke's ancestor and what he had seen in the girl's mind. The boy had been empty-eyed, like one who had no awareness. "I think it was her brother who caused that wound on her back. I felt the pain of it, like an echo from her past."

"There is still a lot we don't know." Kurama sighed.

Hiei didn't reply, letting his silence be agreement.

"I want to help her." Kurama's voice was low as if he admitted a shameful secret.

"I haven't missed your regard." Hiei smirked. "You've been rather obvious. Even the Detective has noted it."

The fox flushed, but said nothing.

"I can understand." Hiei's eyes closed, though one corner of his mouth quirked slightly when the fox turned to regard him with a raised brow.

"Heh." Kurama turned his attention back to the front. He felt the demon beside him slowly slipping into a light dose. Closing his eyes, he finally allowed himself the same luxury, and all was quiet in the darkness as the four slept the weariness of the day away.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I changed the summary, again. LOL. I just have not been satisfied with it and just don't know whether I should keep the original or the second one I created. Sigh. Anywhatever, thank you for the continued reviews, the response to this little story has been awesome! Thank you! (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

WORD DEFINITIONS

Katana - sword

Kitsune - fox

_**Chapter Seven**_

Sango awoke from one moment to the next as if her mind was yanked from dreams and into the waking world by the mere opening of her eyes. She knew where she was and who she was with even as she rose up into a sitting position, blinking around her to realize there was no one else inside the cave but for the snoring Spirit Detective. She took the time, then, to stretch and unfold herself from the tangled blanket of her cloak as she yawned. Pulling free the small water-flask at her hip, she drank sparingly, wondering if there was more. Perhaps that was where the other two demons were, out searching the local terrain. She couldn't be sure, though, and would like more than a few swallows of water for breakfast.

She wasn't about to wait on any other to do what she could for herself, so once she put her small canteen back in its place and flicked her cloak across her shoulders, she gingerly stepped past the snoozing detective and out the cave's grey shadows. The morning that greeted her was young and just past waking, puffy purple clouds dotting the pale fuchsia sky. The clouds, while an off color, were just as those she had known in the living world, and although there was no sun, there was a distinct lightening in the distant east, as if the sun lay veiled by a thick haze. It cast pale tints across the darker fuchsia, lighting the purple clouds on one side and casting divergent shadows across the green landscape.

The forest was verdant and distinctly empty. A light wind blew through the tall trees, setting the branches to swaying gently as the leaves rustled among themselves. She breathed it in and felt strangely revived by the fresh scent of growing and living things. There was a vibrancy to the air that she had missed in the other worlds and she felt an ache in her chest as she took in the morning view. A bird cheeped from the forest, another answering, and Sango smiled.

Jumping from the rocky lurch that fronted the cave, she slipped down among the trees. Following her instincts, she soon found the small spring that burbled up among a thorny outcrop of tangled bushes. An overhanging willow-like tree draped its long, leafy tendrils along the water's edge, and Sango knelt at its root to cup her hands in the cool water and splash her face. The water felt so good that she slipped her cloak, katana and arm-band off and used the small, trial-sized bar of soap she had brought to make quick ablutions, at least getting her arms and face and neck clean.

Luxuriating in the simple peace of being alone, she took down her ponytail and scowled at the tangled length that fell across her back and shoulders to just below her waist. She wished for a longer bath--or, O heaven!--a hot shower, but made did with what she had. Using her pocket-comb, she winced through the tangles and bound it up in a high tail again, thinking it would be better if she were to braid it but not wanting to take the time. Recalled to her situation, she made quicker work of filling her flask, after brushing her teeth and drinking her fill. Thirst satiated, she wondered what game she might be able to find in Makai. She knew one of the reasons humans couldn't survive that long in the demon realm was that they couldn't really eat any of the food. Something about the jyaki that existed in everything in the demon world didn't set too well with human stomachs. She shrugged, knowing that Kagura's heart saw to that problem for her. The same probably held true for the fox demon Kurama and the Mazoku heir, Yusuke.

Recalled to her dubious allies, she frowned. That was a quandary in itself. She wasn't sure how she should interact with them and was distinctly uncomfortable at the thought that she had to. She should just cut her losses and take off on her own, but the taunt of Hiei's words was too enticing a lure. The acknowledgement sat sour in her stomach and she abruptly stood up with a frown, her easy contentment with the morning fading.

Enough. She would do what she had to and quit worrying about it. Right now, she needed to go track down some breakfast--

She froze, suddenly aware she was not alone. Edging back from the bank, she noiselessly drew under the willow's draping leaves, pulling a knife free as she waited in tense silence, crouched at the tree's base.

There was a snap of twigs and a whuffle of sound, as if someone were snorting to themselves. A grunt and a splash, and the being was suddenly there, facing her across the small spring's placid surface, its eyes as wide as hers as they fronted one another in astonished surprise.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Kurama looked up, a brow raised, and wasn't surprised when the fire apparition abruptly appeared beside him, the branches still swaying slightly as he sprang down from his perch. It was Hiei's turn to raise a brow, seeing the woven basket made of reeds under the fox's arm, and Kurama shrugged. He had spent the time since dawn had awakened him in foraging for useful plants. The forest abounded with them and he had made quick work at harvesting those he could use, from fruits to herbs to a dozen or so useful seeds he could employ in a variety of ways.

It seemed Hiei had not wasted his time, either, for there was a pair of fat forest fowl, their necks neatly broken, looped together with a strip of vine that he held over his shoulder. The apparition frowned, seeing the fox's appraising eye, and explained sharply, "The humans will need to eat. They're weak enough to have to."

Kurama only smiled.

"It wasn't as if I was out hunting, fox. These stupid birds just happened to stumble across my path--the more fools they."

"Of course." Kurama soothed the demon's growing ire. "One wouldn't expect you to let such a fortuitous opportunity pass."

Hiei only grunted, swinging around as he heard the noisy arrival of their missing friend. He was hardly quiet, tramping through the woods like only the city-bred could, twigs snapping and dead leaves rattling as he scuffed past them. He waved half-heartedly as he saw the two demons watching him, his other hand covering his mouth as he barely stifled a loud yawn.

"'Sup, guys?" He blinked sleepily at them as he scratched his bare stomach, which rumbled hungrily. He made a face, and then looked hopeful. "Any coffee?"

Hiei's lip curled in derision as Kurama shook his head. "No coffee, I'm afraid."

"Damn." Yusuke rubbed his eyes, cracking another yawn before stretching. "That sucks. I hate mornings."

"Hmph." Hiei added his sour opinion as Kurama thoughtfully sorted through the leafy contents of his basket.

"I can make a tisane, I think," he offered, clarifying at the boy's confusion, "Tea. I can make tea."

"Tea?" Yusuke looked appalled, and rubbed a dirty hand over his face. "Ugh."

Kurama merely looked at him, and noted with some surprise, "You're tattoos are gone."

"Huh?" Yusuke looked down his torso, sucking in his flat stomach and then rolling his arms so he could stare at his bare shoulders. "Well. Whaddya know?"

"It seems your demon form has finally worn off," Kurama said.

"Pity." Hiei couldn't help but add.

Yusuke only grinned, cocking a brow at the dead birds strung up on his friend's shoulder. "That wouldn't be breakfast, would it?"

"If you care to clean them." Hiei smiled sardonically at the Mazoku's baffled look. Slinging the dead pair off his back and at the ex-detective's feet, he smirked. "I caught them, so you can make yourself useful and gut them."

"Ugh." Yusuke eyed the feathered offering with distinct unease. His stomach growled again, more insistent. He looked resigned as he made a face. "Ah, well. Can't be that hard."

Hiei only smirked.

"Don't worry, Yusuke," Kurama said, ever helpful. "I can show you how."

Pushing the slightly curling, black hair from off his forehead, Yusuke moaned, "Gods, what I wouldn't give for a fucking café right about now--or a shower. I stink."

"There's a spring nearby," Kurama told him, shrugging at the boy's heavy groan.

"This living rough shit sucks."

"Welcome to the real world, Detective."

"Aw, shut up, three-eyes," Yusuke groused. "This ain't the real world, it's the _demon_ world, and it sucks."

"This world is as real as any other," Hiei growled, liking the Ningenkai less than this, his true home. "What you call the living world is not even half the paradise this world is."

"Then why the hell are demons always want to come conquer it, huh? Can you tell me that?" Yusuke cracked one eye open to challenge the shorter demon as he rubbed the sleep-boogers from the other with an index finger.

"For the food, Detective." Hiei's fangs flashed. "Humans are such easy prey."

"Ugh. Gross." Yusuke made a face. "Damn cannibals."

"You're only a cannibal if you eat your own kind." Hiei returned with acidic disdain.

"It's close enough I can't see the difference," Yusuke growled.

"Not all demons require humans flesh," Kurama said, trying to ease the tension between his two friends.

"Hn." Hiei turned away.

"Ah, hell, I don't really care if demons eat people or not," Yusuke said, growing serious. "God knows if that's what they need, than that's what they need."

"Such a sentiment is surprising for a Spirit World agent." Hiei's red eyes narrowed. "It could be one of the reasons the Reikai is now out for your blood, Detective."

Yusuke shrugged. "Whatever, three-eyes. I just know that it's not my place to tell any being how they ought to live, and I know there's enough bad people in the world that if some demon decides he wants a snack, there are plenty of rotten apples in Ningenkai that I would stand aside and just let him have at 'em."

There was a sadness in Kurama's green gaze and he turned to look up at the trees, which swayed gently in the wind. Birds cheeped and scolded as other things stirred in the brush, busy about their own small concerns, and he felt the weight of centuries settling across his shoulders. He suddenly felt old, with the burden of Youko's experience and knowledge of the evils of both human and demon-kind, and wondered if it was always to be thus, that they would always be in contention, that there would always be those who sought to exploit their brothers or those they considered unlike or beneath them. People--both youkai and ningen--rarely came in black and white. They were more like shades of gray, from dark smoke to pale mist, and it was sad to admit that most were selfish, rarely rising above their own concerns to consider another's…

"Hello? Earth to Kurama!" Yusuke waved a hand in front of his face and Kurama blinked.

"Pardon my lapse," he said, chagrined that he had been so caught up in his own dark thoughts.

Hiei eyed the fox with a bland expression, having noted the sadness in the young man's telling green eyes. Deliberately changing the subject--and refusing to admit it was concern for his friend that caused the action--he suddenly asked, "The girl--she still sleeps?"

Yusuke frowned, caught off-guard. "Huh? No."

"She's not in the cave?" Kurama asked, concern over-riding his other thoughts as he focused on that alarming fact.

"No, she's not in the cave," Yusuke repeated impatiently, not seeing why the fox should be so worried. It wasn't as if she were some defenseless damsel needing to be rescued every time she saw some boogey monster. Not that he minded rescuing damsels--he rather liked how Keiko depended on him for such things, it made him feel all manly and strong and needed for protection.

The fox and the fire apparition exchanged a long glance, and Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Oh, c'mon! What are you so worried about it? She's a demon slayer, or whatever she said she was. She can take care of herself."

"This is Makai, Yusuke," Kurama patiently explained even as he started walking back toward the cave, determined to follow her path, if she had left any. "There are things here that can appear to be one thing and are yet another. The illusion of friendliness or even defenselessness is an old one to lure the unwary as prey for many a demon."

"Hn." Hiei sneered his contempt for such pathetic posturing as he fell in beside his tall friend. "A tool for the weak."

"Perhaps," Kurama flashed the smaller demon a wry smile, "but it can be quite effective on the innocent."

"The stupid, you mean." The corner of the fire demon's mouth twitched as Yusuke picked up the dead birds with a gagging look and followed after them.

"I can't see that crazy chick being all that innocent." Yusuke wrinkled up, trying to picture it. He finally shook his shaggy head as he fell into step beside the pair. "Nope, not working."

His friends made no reply as they emerged from the woods, crossing the small outcrop of rocks that fronted the cave's hilly ascendance. Hiei flashed up the crest in two leaps with his typical speed as the other two followed more slowly. Dropping the birds on a convenient rock, Yusuke put his hands on his hips as he watched Kurama scan the forest's horizon with one hand over his eyes, his expression troubled.

"What the hell are you so worried for?" Yusuke groused. "Jeez, fox, one would think you had a thing for that stupid assassin."

Kurama shot him a look that made the ex-detective grin, totally unrepentant. Hiei's nostrils flared slightly with impatience as he regarded the boy with an icy stare, foregoing the opportunity to point out the obvious foolishness of pushing the aloof kitsune too far. Instead, the apparition asked, "Do you want to go look for her?"

Kurama nodded once, an abrupt gesture, his eyes still drawn to the peaceful-seeming forest.

"Oh, come off it, you two!" Yusuke looked heavenward, as if seeking patience from a higher power. "Sheesh. The girl's probably gone off to go wash her face or something. Didn't you say there was a spring or pond or something nearby? She's probably there--girls hate dirt."

While the boy's reasoning was convoluted and hardly sound, still it was the best suggestion they had, and at least somewhere to start. Discarding his basket, Kurama glanced at Hiei, who nodded, and disappeared. Kurama followed with a graceful leap, two strides taking him back under the trees as Yusuke rolled his eyes and went after his vanishing friends, his bare feet stretching into a run to catch up with them.

Damn girl was delaying breakfast--he would have a word or two for her when they finally caught up with her for that.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

The big eyes that fronted her across the spring were a beautiful shade of sky blue, lashed thickly with a white, feathery fringe and just as wide with surprise as her own. Sango found herself rather at a loss for words for once, and could only stare as the animal's delicate ears pricked forward as it regarded her with a measuring wariness to its blue gaze. Snorting to itself, it finally shook its head, tossing its mane as it decided she was nothing to fear. Bending its graceful head, it started to drink with barely a ripple to mar the spring's still surface.

Sango stared, rather stunned at the bold sight, and could only breathe in wonder as she watched the light glimmer off of the pearlescent horn that grew in a single, straight spire from the center of the small horse's forehead. He--for now that the half-grown foal had stepped out further into the spring, his cloven forefeet now up to the feathered hocks in the water, she could tell that it was male--was too beautiful to be real, his coat so brilliant a white it seemed to shine with its own luminance. Although he appeared more horse-like, he had the slender delicacy of a woodland deer and the tail that flicked lazily from side to side as he drank was more bovine or lion-like than a horse's flowing mane.

Dropping her knife with barely an acknowledgement, Sango felt as one beguiled. Pulling up some of the sweet green grass around her, she kept her motions slow and easy, not wanting to scare him away as she extended her offering, her brown eyes melting at the magnificent sight of the shy animal, who snorted in alarm as she moved, water dripping from the small tuft of beard at his chin. His nostrils expanded, taking in her scent and her intention, and he eyed her with cautious appraisal. She stilled, hardly daring to breathe, as he took a step closer to her, extending his white head to snake a tongue out to taste her offering. He suddenly huffed, blowing the torn grass everywhere, and she couldn't help but giggle, the laughter bubbling out of her in joyous recognition as he whinnied, as if sharing her merriment.

Leaping forward, he bowled her over with his chest, nuzzling her hair with his wet lips as he snorted over her. She laughed, pushing up at him, letting her hands tangle in his soft coat as he neighed, his silver hooves carefully avoiding her shoulders as he shuffled his weight, as if he would urge her up to dance. Sango slid out from under him, her fingers trailing up his neck and scratching lightly behind the ears, which he seemed to love, for he leaned into the caress, eyes half-lidded and breath huffing out in a contented grunt.

"You are so beautiful," she breathed, unable to stop touching him. He snorted, as if in total agreement, and she laughed again. Her heart felt so light and free in his presence--she couldn't believe how easy she was in his company. He nuzzled her cheek, lipping at the short black bangs as he breathed in her scent. He turned playful, butting her head with his, though he was careful with his horn, which appeared rather sharp at the tip. Sango rolled away, and he whinnied, a high sound, and pushed her right into the spring. She went with a splash and a startled cry of alarm as the water closed over her head. The spring was not deep, but it was enough that she came up sputtering, dragging her wet hair out of her eyes as the foal looked at her with utter bewilderment. She giggled, ignoring the water that streamed out of her drenched clothing as she stood up.

"That was not fair!" She put her hands on her hips and grinned as he regarded her with blue-eyed innocence. He snorted and she froze--for it was answered by another, the deeper sound coming from right behind her. She slowly turned, icy dread killing her laughter as she turned to confront the sudden, forbidding presence behind her.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Kurama knelt to examine the torn turf surrounding the hidden spring, which swirled with muddy agitation, as if something had struck the bottom, sifting the mud up from the small pool's floor. His fingers marked out the distinctive hoof-prints and noted with growing unease the larger prints of multiple animals pressed deeper into the grassy bank.

Hiei suddenly appeared on the other bank, dropping down from the willow's upper branches to pick up the discarded knife, arm-band, sword and cloak that lay neatly folded beside them. His eyes met the fox's, and they both turned as one as the detective finally burst through the brush, panting slightly from his jog.

"What the hell? Isn't that her stuff?" He jerked a thumb at the other bank, his demand for the fox, who had looked up at his arrival.

"Yes," Kurama said, eyes peering through the brush as if he would spy her out. The spring was empty, but he did see a small tuft of white hair, caught on the thorny end of a bush, and he picked it free. Bringing it to his nose, he took a quick sniff. His eyes widened, and he looked deeply troubled. Turning to gaze back at his friends, he said with dawning dread, "Unicorns."

Yusuke let out a sharp bark of laughter, which died abruptly as he saw the look exchanged between the two youkai.

"What's the matter, fox?" he demanded, brows drawing down as he glared at them.

"Let's just hope that the Detective is wrong and that the girl proves innocent," Hiei said, eyes sweeping past them to the surrounding woods, which had grown ominously quiet.

Yusuke's wide shoulders twitched. "I don't get it. What the hell is going on? Did you or did you not just say 'unicorn,' as in little white horsies?"

"This is Makai, Yusuke," Kurama said heavily as he stood up, absently brushing the grass roots off his knees as he stared around him. "What you know as only legend is very real here in the demon world, and bears little resemblance to the fairytales told to amuse children in the Ningenkai."

"So what the hell are you trying to say?" Yusuke demanded, taken aback by the wary look in the kitsune's green eyes.

"What he's trying to say, you buffoon, is that what you consider a little white horsie who prances around all day playing in the woods is anything but that in the real world," Hiei growled, leaping the short distance from bank to bank in a single, graceful motion. "Let's go, fox. The tracks are distinctive, we should find them easily. It doesn't look as if they have circled their prey yet."

"Circled their prey?" Yusuke felt totally out of his depth as Kurama nodded.

"That's true. Perhaps we'll prove lucky, and they won't have started the chase yet."

"The chase?" Yusuke was damn tired of repeating everything those two said and finally snarled, "Damn it, guys! Will one of you tell me what the fuck is going on?!"

Kurama's fist curled around the tuft of white hair held in his palm. "The unicorns of demon world are not the same innocent creatures you have grown up knowing."

"Not like I ever knew any," Yusuke muttered as Hiei shot him a scornful look.

"For one, Detective, they aren't herbivores. They're carnivores."

"What?" Yusuke did a double-take.

"Yes, Detective. They eat meat, preferably _fresh_ meat." The fire apparition's fangs flashed in a blood-thirsty smile, and Yusuke drew back with a startled stare.

"The whole herd will circle their chosen prey, chasing it to ground until it is completely exhausted and cannot fight as they close in for the kill," Kurama added with dire emphasis as Yusuke's mouth fell open. "They will then spear the helpless prey on their sharp horns, hopefully ending its life before they tear into its flesh with their powerful jaws."

"They have teeth rather like a shark's," Hiei remarked grimly.

Yusuke's mouth snapped shut as his eyes glittered. "Well, then, what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Already gone," Hiei growled, vanishing into the trees as the others took off after him.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer:I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I agonized over this chapter for weeks, especially with Kurama. He is a complex character and hard to pin down. It's been easier with Yusuke, who I thought would be a lot harder, but has proven the most fun to write. As Purplepeopleeater so succinctly put it in a review, if Miroku and Inuyasha ever had a love-child, it would be Yusuke. (That had me crying laughing, as do a lot of your reviews. LOL) Anyhoot, I hope you like the result, and thank you everyone for your continued reviews. They are each so encouraging, and I value the insights and suggestions. They make my mind whirl off into new directions I never even knew plot bunnies could hop. O.O (Fate) _

WARNING! RUN-ON SENTENCES, LIMEY TENSION AND SEXUAL INUENDO!

_**Chapter Eight**_

"What the hell?!"

Yusuke slid to an awkward stop beside the crouching form of his red-haired friend, who was half-hidden by the dense trees and brush that grew in a gnarled riot around their precarious perch. Kurama shot him a warning look, finger to his lips, as they peered down the steep embankment to the open valley that spread out before them. Grass waist-high waved across the wide field, stirred by the playful wind into rippling runnels like ocean tides beneath a purple-clouded pink sky. The herd spread out below them was a good size, a mix of both male and female and their foals, which ran and played with as much abandon as any of the young and innocent. The scene was sweetly peaceful, the white, horned horses so beautiful they even caused an ache in the ex-detective's throat as he watched them in dawning awe--awe that was even more inspired by the young woman who strolled so casually among them, as if she were but taking a morning hike around a fenced-in pasture. One hand was tangled in the mane of a small foal, its mother following like a dog on an invisible leash as other unicorns started lazily taking notice and coming up to crowd around her as if she were something of interest.

A thought froze him, and Yusuke whispered urgently, "Are they starting to circle her, like you said they do with their prey?"

Kurama only shook his head, the stiff tension in his shoulders easing as he watched the scene below. He still crouched, green eyes wary, but he wasn't braced for an attack like he had been before.

There was a whisper of movement, and Hiei appeared beside them, his red eyes taking in the open valley with a certain measure before turning his gaze to the Mazoku, who looked confused.

"I don't get it. What's going on? Why aren't they attacking her?" he demanded in a harsh whisper, hand sweeping out to wave at the herd, who appeared rather relaxed on the whole, and not like the rabid beasts of horror the two demons had painted them out to be.

"She's a virgin," Hiei growled, folding his arms and glaring down at the object of their discussion.

"So?" Yusuke suddenly remembered, and his mouth formed an "O" of surprise. Scrubbing at the back of his neck, a grin dawned. "Well, whaddya know. I guess that part holds true, then? That unicorns are attracted to girls?"

"I wouldn't say attracted." Kurama's lips were pressed together in a thin line. The expression in his dark green eyes was unreadable. "But they won't attack one who is innocent."

"Well, this grows boring." Yusuke sighed, impatient with crouching in the bushes while they watched a herd of My Little Ponies play with a horse-mad girl. "Why don't we just holler at her to get her ass back up here?"

"Quiet, Yusuke. You don't want to attract their attention. They will attack, I assure you," Kurama cautioned sharply in a low whisper.

Yusuke made a face. He wasn't afraid of a white horse, no matter what kind of dental equipment it had. And he was still hungry, and breakfast wasn't getting made any quicker with them stuck here watching the stupid virgin assassin play with killer unicorns.

"Well, then, what are we gonna do? 'Cause I sure as hell can't go down there and fetch her--I'd get eaten alive." He grinned, smug with the knowledge that he wasn't any kind of freaking virgin. He didn't expect the others to be, either.

"Hn."

He looked over at Hiei, who only glared before suddenly leaping off the embankment and straight down into the field a good ten feet below, his black cloak fanning wildly in the breeze of his passage.

"Holy shit! What the hell is he doing!" Yusuke was about to rush after his stupid friend, but the heavy hand Kurama laid on his shoulder stayed him. "Kurama?"

"Don't bother, Yusuke. Hiei will not be harmed," the fox said, eyes intent on the distant figure, who was now stalking through the grass in a straight bee-line for the girl. The unicorns who surrounded him raised their heads but only snorted as he passed, tossing their manes or ignoring him as if he were of little interest.

"Huh?" It suddenly dawned on Yusuke, why the animals could care less if the short demon was in their very midst, and his eyes widened as a surprised grin spread across his face. "No fucking way. That damn youkai is a _virgin?_ Holy crap!"

"Quiet, Yusuke." Kurama's whisper was a low growl of sharp rebuke. Yusuke looked at him, surprised by the fervency in his friend's voice. Maybe the fox knew something he didn't--though man was that crazy that _Hiei_ of all people was a virgin!

Yusuke knew when to shut up, though, and waited in tense silence as the fire demon approached the girl, who glanced toward their hidden position before nodding. She hugged the little unicorn goodbye--which made Yusuke roll his eyes at the sappy sentiment of it--and then the pair turned back towards them, the taiji-ya walking slightly ahead of the black-haired demon.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sango was surprised when the fire apparition abruptly appeared. Fingers still tangled in the soft mane of her new-found friend, she watched with a wary tension as he approached her, his expression bland as his red eyes caught hers.

"The others are waiting for you," he said, words clipped as he jerked his spiky head in their direction. He ignored the unicorns who milled around them. They returned his disinterest, dismissing his presence with a few long looks out of languid blue eyes before wandering away, tails flicking lazily as their curiosity waned.

Sango looked up toward the far bank, which was a barren thrust of red dirt, the roots of a few clinging bushes exposed like tangled spaghetti beneath the looming cover of the forest. She couldn't see anyone lurking in the thick brush, but knew she wouldn't be able to. Turning to the demon, she nodded her agreement before turning back to the little foal with a regretful sigh for the end of her sweet interlude. It had been an half-hour of surprising wonder, for she was accepted so readily among such unearthly beautiful creatures she had never expected to meet in the demon realm, of all places.

"Goodbye," she whispered in the little unicorn's ear as she hugged him. His ear flicked in her direction and his warm breath whuffled across her hair as he nuzzled her. She smiled, blinking back a sudden onslaught of regretful tears, and wondered at the strange mix of emotions called up by the simple act. She would probably never see him again and she was so tired of always having to say goodbye. She hugged him harder and then forced herself to let him go, watching stony-eyed and blank-faced as he pranced over to his mother, who sniffed over him before tossing her head and turning away. That seemed to signal the rest of the herd to leave them alone and their path was lazily cleared as the unicorns moved off to other parts of the large valley at a leisurely pace.

Sango walked slightly ahead of the red-eyed demon, her back stiff and her look rocky. She didn't like his being the one to come fetch her like some naughty child, or having him be the one to see her slight emotion when saying farewell. Worse was the fact that he had been the one to force himself into her memories last night and the gods alone knew what kind of emotion he had found _there_.

He seemed to be reading her mind now, for he broke the tense silence between them with a sudden growl. "Don't expect me to apologize, girl, for what I did for _your_ benefit."

Sango stopped, eyes narrowing as she spun around to snap, "I wouldn't expect a _demon_ to. You tend to just take what you want and be damned to who you hurt when you do." There was a wealth of loathing in that sentence.

"Hn." Hiei smiled, eyes lit with something almost cruel and undeniably smug. "Because we can."

Sango's fists curled. She wanted to wipe that arrogant sneer off of his hated face, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "I never asked for your help, youkai."

"But you won't spurn it, either." His crimson eyes met hers in a long, silent battle until she finally turned back around with a snarl of pure frustration that she daren't touch him, for he was right, damn him!

"Gods, I hate you," she spat, her anger blending with her general loathing for his kind.

"Do you?" He raised a brow, red eyes impenetrable below the wild crop of white-tipped black hair. "Or do you just hate yourself?"

She stiffened, caught up by that sharp truth even as he swept past her. Eyes narrowing, she felt her heart pounding a heavy beat inside her chest even as the anger swirled up around her in venomous waves of erratic energy. A wind howled across the field, tossing her damp locks behind her as her hands curled around two of her daggers, plucking them free even as her eyes flashed, the brown depths gaining a reddish tinge as the youkai rage in her blood grew hot with un-vented fury.

Feeling the energy building behind him, Hiei spun, his sword drawn in a guard position to rest against his other braced forearm in the shape of a letter T as he growled. The white bandage above his red eyes glowed with an eerie green light, burning away as the wild jyaki grew around them. His third eye opened, the iris expanding in the lavender depths as he bared his fangs. "You little fool!"

Sango was beyond caring, she only knew she wanted to end this, here and now. That little bastard was long overdue for a beating--

They both froze in place as a horse squealed angrily, another trumpeting its challenge as a sudden thunder shook the ground underneath their feet. Sango looked wildly around her, her demon energy abruptly slipping away with her single-minded rage as she realized the white cloud rushing towards them was the whole herd of unicorns, who were circling like a curling wave across the valley floor, gathering more to their numbers before bearing down on them in a unrelenting stream of stampeding vengeance. She let out a startled cry, seeing the bared teeth as their lips curled back over their sharp fangs and their angry blue eyes flashed with bloody wrath at the angry jyaki called within their midst.

"Drop your knives, fool!" Hiei leapt at her, having dropped his own sword in the grass, and plucked them free just as the herd surrounded them in a circle of snapping fury. Hastily flinging the blades aside, Hiei knocked her off her feet with his heavier weight, forcing her under him as he curled over her protectively nary a moment too soon, for he could feel a dozen razor-sharp horns brushing against his back and shoulders, stopping only a hair's breadth from impaling him as the herd's anger washed over them in a wave of snarling remonstrance.

Sango shuddered, breath gasping against the demon's throat as he huddled over her. She could feel the heat of his skin through the thick folds of his cloak and his spiky hair tickled her face as he slowly turned his head to stare around them. She trembled, feeling the demonic rage surrounding them, and waited breathlessly for what might happen next. Her eyes flicked from side to side, catching glimpses of bared fangs and scarlet eyes, and she shuddered at the knowledge that these horrific beasts were not what she had known just a few minutes ago. They stamped restlessly, their cloven hooves tearing up the grass as the herd milled around in some confusion as Hiei continued to press her into the dirt with his heavier weight. She had a pebble digging into her back, and his arm, which circled around the back of her head, was also pinning her ponytail so hard to the ground it made tears spring to her eyes. She blinked, silently rebuking herself for caring about that stupid fact even as certain death awaited them if they so much as moved.

"Laugh."

"What?" She tensed at his harsh whisper, eyes widening as he met her gaze, his red eyes glowering into hers.

"Laugh, you fool! And mean it--or we're both dead." He forced a chuckle that sounded pretty bad to her ears, and giving him a doubtful frown, Sango weakly followed suit, sending out a breathy wheeze that didn't sound all that amused.

It wasn't working. Their pathetic attempts weren't fooling the unicorns, who tensed and snorted their contempt. A horn pierced the ground near Sango's shoulder, flinging clods of dirt as a pair of jaws snapped somewhere above them in aggressive warning. She winced, trying to force more cheer into her voice as she dug up a weak laugh. Her chest felt tight and she knew with certain dread that they were about to die.

"Are you ticklish?" Hiei growled, desperation in his strained voice as he barked a sharp laugh that was nothing of the sort.

"Wha--EEEK!" She shrieked as his hands impatiently pushed up the damp fabric of her shirt, calloused fingers feathering across the sides of her waist just under her ribs as she jerked, trying to push him off her in reaction to the abrupt sensation. Her eyes watered and she wheezed, giggles forced out as she howled for him to stop.

"Oh god--please--hee-hee--oh, my god--Hiei, _stop_, damn you!"

He grinned at her helpless reaction, tickling harder as she bucked beneath him, trying to escape his fingers as he hung on for dear life. He laughed at her outraged expression, even as she snorted and wheezed, her body shaking and twisting as she tried to get away from him.

There was a startled snort and the unicorns drew back, the swirling, red rage in their eyes dissolving as they looked on with baffled wonder and amusement. A foal whinnied, joining in the shrieking laughter as Sango surrendered to the demon's skillful attack. Hiei smiled as she tried to push him off her, laughing as her face grew red and her eyes danced. He kept it up until the unicorns finally retreated, their interest waning as their prey frolicked in the grass like any foal. The yearlings began a game of chase, and the younger ones followed after on spindly legs, the older unicorns looking after them with tolerant affection as they slowly wandered away.

Noting their retreat, Hiei stopped his assault on the slayer beneath him, though he waited for them both to catch their hoarse breaths, his eyes intent on hers as she grinned up at him. Sango panted, her eyes blinking back tears, unable to keep her anger up in the face of such a ridiculously brilliant solution. She had never, ever, expected to be tickled by a demon under the threat of instant death, and she couldn't hold any emotion but a continued bemusement that she kept trying to muffle with half-hearted giggles as she smiled up at him, eyes warm with the emotional release of her laughter.

He stared down at her, the look in his red eyes slowly darkening. Sango blinked, her lips parting slightly as she abruptly became aware of how his body was sprawled across hers, their legs tangled together as her hips nestled his rather intimately. One of his hands had come to rest palm-down on the flattened grass beside her head and his fingers curled slightly as he lowered his head a mere fraction, his crimson eyes so intense it sent a shivering tingle through her body and heat flushing across her skin as she trembled with the raw feel of it.

A gruff neigh abruptly broke the spell, and both of them shot the old curmudgeonly mare who eyed them with sour censure a startled glance. A tinge of reddening anger circled through the disdainful blue eye and they both stiffened. Sango blushed as the fire demon silently sat back, his expression rather bland as she scooted out from under him. Not meeting his eyes, Sango searched for her knives tossed aside in the grass, and found his sword just as he did. Cheeks flaming, she let him take the weapon, which he gingerly sheathed. He helped her up to her feet and she let him, one eye on the mare who still watched them with a suspicious glare.

He picked up her knives as she dusted the grass off her ass and she murmured a terse thanks when he silently handed them over. Sheathing the blades, she bit her lip as he jerked his head toward the embankment, where the others must still be waiting. Sango's face was on fire, wondering what they must have seen, and she followed the swiftly walking fire demon as they retreated from the unicorns' valley, as eager as he to be quit of it, and uncertain why her heart was still beating so hard in her chest, or why her skin was still tingling from the contact of his.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Being the calm, level-headed person who could always keep their cool in even the most trying of circumstances had its downsides. Others were always relying on him to be the one to keep them from doing anything foolishly rash, certain that he would never feel the overwhelming need to just go off half-cocked and angry, or worse--stubborn and frightened. Others lauded him for his cool intellect, his ability to separate himself from a situation and weigh the various advantages and outcomes and decide--coolly, levelly, logically--which was the best course to take in a given circumstance.

But he was human, and youkai, and as feeling as they. He just never let those feelings rule him, but there were times when he wished he _could_. Because there were times he wanted to just go on his first instinct, which was to fling caution to the winds and be damned to the consequences, but no--he was Kurama, and there were certain expectations of him, even by those closest to him, who would have given him the choice if they had ever guessed that sometimes his role as always the Sensible One chafed.

He was cursed with dependability, and doubly-cursed by being able to see and understand all sides of a situation, even his own and the role he must play. He was forced to see the pattern and even acknowledge his own part in how it had come about**. **He was proud of his intellect, proud of his ability to step outside a situation and see the many paths that led to and from it, and more than proud that he could choose his own way among them, managing his own destiny as much as he may by controlling everything he could in his life and protecting himself as much as possible in the process.

But sometimes--sometimes--it just sucked.

"Heh."

Kurama closed his eyes, ignoring Yusuke's sudden "Oh, yeah!" as he watched Hiei help Sango up off the ground, the unicorns finally having retreated. The fire demon's strategy of tickling the girl to generate genuine laughter was brilliant, really. Kurama could hardly find fault with it. Not many warriors had the wits to realize that _anything_ could be turned into a weapon for their hand--even something as underrated as laughter. Kurama had employed it to his own benefit, and not so long ago, when he battled his schoolmate, Yuu Kaitou, within the psychic's own territory. It was all simply yin and yang, really. When the yang of fear had not worked to make the psychic holler, Kurama had resorted to the passive yin attack of evoking hilarity to best his foe.

It was often the unexpected that worked the best--surprise was ever a good tactic, in both battle and life.

_He_ was certainly surprised at how strong his reaction was, in first seeing the taiji-ya and his closest friend face off, and then seeing them surrounded by a circle of certain death as the unicorns attacked them en masse. The unicorns' instincts had called them to defend their valley and young from the powerful surge of demonic rage summoned so carelessly by the two warriors. He had wanted to leap down from the safety of his hiding place to go and save them--although he knew the futility of such an action, knew already that Hiei was doing the most sensible he could in disarming them both before throwing himself atop the slayer to protect her, and knew with a deepening sense of anger that he was needed here, to stop Yusuke from doing what _he_ so wanted to do--which was to go down charging into that valley and slaughter every last damn youkai threatening his friends.

But he was the Sensible One. He was the one depended upon to keep a cooler head than the others, and to stop them from doing the foolish things he, himself, often desired to do. And never before had the constraints he had placed upon himself felt so binding or loathsome. But he was Kurama, and so he had done it, even as he snarled over the fact and let none of his personal battle of the emotions called up within himself show on his calm face as he held the ex-detective back, cautioning him to wait and see what Hiei would do even as he snarled inside himself to just _go!_

If that had been all, than he could have lived with that. He could have broken his reaction down later into separate parts to dissect and study, neatly compartmentalizing them inside his mind, chasing why and wherefore and understanding what had driven the instinct and even forgiving himself the natural emotions stirred up by such circumstance. He probably would have lauded his own sensible reaction in staying put, and even having his faith in his fiery-tempered friend proven right once more.

But none of that mattered--for the emotive reaction that truly troubled him was not the natural instincts that had stirred inside of him when he had seen the two of them in such danger--that was only human, after all--no, it was not that. It was, rather, his reaction at seeing the two of them lying together on the grass after the unicorns had retreated. It was seeing Hiei pause for a significant moment before sitting back and seeing the taiji-ya's blush and knowing--oh, so very well--the cause of it.

His fingers were curling into fists even now at the mere memory and he was deeply troubled by the strange emotion called up within him. It was an emotion Youko had never felt the need for and one so petty he could not believe existed within himself.

_'Jealousy.'_

It was such an ugly, childish emotion, and one he could well do without. He'd purge it, somehow, find out the underlying reasons and expunge it from his thoughts, no matter how long it took or what it might cost him to do so.

Problem was--he wasn't entirely certain just _who_ the jealousy was for.

Breathing in deeply, Kurama sought to calm his turbulent thoughts even as Yusuke whooped and hollered beside him, oblivious to the fox demon's internal dilemma. The fact was, Youko had always been rather free with his affections. The ancient kitsune had been an experienced and frequent lover, taking and discarding his many amours with little thought or consistency. The demon had never seen the need to constrain himself to just one--or even one at a time, really--and like a bee who went from flower to flower, he had little concern over who or how, man or woman, male or female, only with what caught his attention or fancy at the moment. And once his attention waned, than that was that, and it was over, no matter who or how he hurt those who loved him more deeply than the white fox could allow himself.

Faithless, that was what the fox had been, and was as unconcerned by that fact as Kurama was concerned by it. _He_ was not Youko, not entirely. He had his own thoughts, his own concerns and his own ideals. While Youko certainly shaded his own awareness--and there were times when they were so twined as to be one in thought and deed--still there were things Kurama could not do. While Youko could be careless of others and their feelings, Kurama could not, and while Youko could let control go once in a while to do as he wished, on feeling alone, Kurama could not, for he was more afraid of losing control than anything else, even pain or death.

The fact was, these sudden feelings called up by the slayer were something beyond--and thus out of--his control, and he didn't like that. Certainly, she was a beautiful woman, and there was a complexity there that sparked his curiosity and fed his interest. Knowing as little as he did of her past, still it called up within him a strange mix of feelings--both pity and pride, that she had survived so long and with so little in her favor. The sadness he sensed within her, the loneliness, the burden of a life lived perhaps too long in the shadows--that called to him. There were depths to her he could not even begin to guess at and he wanted to, more than even he could perhaps admit to himself right now. And surprisingly, he didn't feel the need to question that fact as he would have in any normal situation. It was as if he recognized within her something within himself, and as yet did not quite know what, but it was there all the same.

As for Hiei--Hiei was his friend and ally. He had never questioned their uncommon understanding, their unspoken bond and accord. They were a perfect balance for each other, yin for yang, and the perfect complement--for Hiei's passion was his own, though more carefully hidden. Their friendship was something he took for granted, really, something that was almost instinctive. In that, Youko and he were in full agreement, but then, Youko had had friends like that in the past, friends who were as close as brothers and who he had carefully separated in his kitsune mind from his lighter liaisons. While the fox might have felt attracted to his closest friends, that had been easily discarded for the loyal friendship between them. Youko had been good at that--though he had also been good at cutting the ties when it suited him to do so, even for those closest to him. Yomi, for instance, was one he had befriended for long years, but had been able to turn his back on when the eager demon had proved too high a liability for their band of thieves. Youko could easily make that choice--Kurama could not.

His loyalty, once given, was given, no matter what. He had betrayed Hiei once--and it had been a painful choice, for it had been his human mother, the one who had given birth to him, that he had betrayed the fire demon for--but he would never do so again, for Hiei was more to him now. He knew, and accepted, his physical attraction to the fire apparition and also knew, instinctively, that the terse-worded demon could never welcome it. He had been easy with that, knowing that such love was not for everyone.

That was fine. They were friends, and brothers, and that was enough.

Or it had been--until the knowledge had hit him like a blow just now that maybe it _wasn't_ enough. For even as his face remained carefully composed, his fingers had curled into the dirt beside him, his claws growing slightly as emotions were raised he had never suspected might lie within himself. Seeing Hiei with her, and her with Hiei--and in so relatively mild a circumstance, no matter how significant--that had built a turmoil within him he would never have guessed could exist.

It was daunting--and, yes, he was forced to admit, even a little frightening--to realize just how out of touch he was with his true feelings. Where and when this had come about, he could not say. He had reacted almost instantly to the girl, the taiji-ya, and in a way that was as startling to his unsettled mind as the sudden surge in his unspoken attraction for the edgy fire apparition. These feelings--they were unworthy of him, or them, and he felt unbalanced and out of his depth. He was not an emotional creature. Well--Kurama's lips quirked slightly in self-derision--that was certainly not true. But he was in control of his emotions, and this sudden onslaught of raw feeling and desire left him feeling out of control, and that was worse than the emotions themselves.

Well, if he could not control his inner reactions, than he at least could control his outer self, and give the _appearance_ of being unaffected. He was particularly good at that--he had had a good teacher in Youko for it. The only one who could truly get to him was his human mother, and she, at least, was safely in human world, just engaged to a gentle man Kurama could not have found better himself if he had tried. They were currently planning their July wedding--and he was assured as to her happiness, which made him glad, for that was a particular weakness for him, her happiness and his wish for it.

He was determined never to allow another such weakness, for in that, at least, Youko was right. Too much emotion and caring allowed chinks in his armor, chinks that could be turned against him and prove his undoing. That was a weakness he refused to allow himself.

And so he was distantly polite as the two of them, Hiei and Anei, finally emerged from the valley floor, forging a path up the embankment with a difficult scramble up the steep path just to the left of where he and Yusuke had lain hidden. While Yusuke ran to greet them, barely stifling a loud whoop as he grabbed the startled girl up in a hug and spun her about, he merely stepped from the brush to nod at the fire demon, who didn't look too happy at the detective's exuberant welcome.

Fighting his own ire at the Mazoku's rough embrace of the girl, Kurama only said, "That was quick thinking, Hiei."

"Hn." The fire demon crossed his arms, glaring at the detective, who was oblivious to the heated look the two demons were giving him, for Kurama could not quite keep the irritation from his gaze.

"Shall we go?" Kurama suddenly demanded, words clipped. His voice must have been a little more strained than he had believed, for Hiei shot him a sharp look. Kurama refused to meet the youkai's penetrating gaze and watched as Yusuke finally let the slayer go, though he still had a casual arm thrown over her shoulders as he grinned back at his friends, brown eyes lit with unholy amusement.

Kurama's brows drew down. He had the sneaking suspicion Yusuke wasn't as oblivious as he seemed. He wondered, suddenly, if the former Spirit Detective had just contrived the whole welcome scene, just to see if he could get a rise out of his friends. He didn't like that blatant show of his own weakness in regards to the girl and how she affected him, but he felt oddly smug when she slipped out of the detective's casual hold with an almost automatic gesture, neatly extricating herself and putting some distance between them.

"Miss Anei--you are all right?" He tried to pretend that the concern in his voice was merely the concern he would feel for anyone, but the attempt was rather pathetic, even to himself.

"Yes, thank you." She was painfully polite, though a faint blush crossed her cheeks, and she wouldn't meet any of their eyes. Her gaze flickered across the valley below them, her deep brown eyes holding something almost sad and nervous, before she stiffened as he extended her discarded items back to her.

"Thank you," she repeated, seeming to withdraw inside herself as she accepted the neatly-folded cloak, her abandoned weapons and arm-band atop it. Her carefully bland expression was mirrored by the two demons, who both turned to Yusuke as he stretched his arms out and rolled his shoulders, cracking his spine as he wagged his scruffy head in a shoulder-roll to loosen the tension from his neck.

"Man, I'm starved. I'm for breakfast. Who's with me?"

They looked at him and he only grinned. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he sauntered off, lightly whistling as the three shrugged and followed his ambling lead back to the cave.

Kurama smiled. Leave it to Yusuke to diffuse a situation and put things into their proper perspective.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you again for the continued encouragement. (Fate) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

WORD DEFINITIONS

Nekomata - fire-cat, Kirara

Raspberry - when someone sticks their tongue out and blows

_**Chapter Nine**_

Yusuke regarded the strangled pair of dead birds vined together on the rock where he had left them with distinct distaste.

"Ugh."

Hiei, the little bastard, only smirked.

"I really gotta clean these things?"

"If you want to. You can eat raw feathers for all I care, Detective." Hiei was in his usual indolent posture, leaning against the rocks above where their abandoned breakfast lay.

"This just sucks." Yusuke glared down at the demonic birds with repugnance. They, of course, each had three eyes and a wicked looking beak to go with their plump feathers and extra-long legs. Even the chickens in Makai were downright creepy.

"I can clean and cook them, if you gather kindling for a fire."

Yusuke turned to the heaven-sent girl, who only looked at him as he beamed at her. "Really?"

"Yes, really." She looked amused, and then startled, as he lunged forward and hugged her, hard.

"Thank God you're here, Anei!"

"What are you--!" She colored up like a tomato, pushing him off her with a hard enough shove that it sent him sprawling back on his ass, neatly knocking his head against an inconvenient protrusion of stone.

"Oops!" Yusuke was totally unrepentant as he rubbed the back of his shaggy black head and grinned up at her. "Forgot about the whole 'touch me not' thing. Sorry."

"You're treading on thin ice, Detective," Hiei warned, though his red eyes were resting on Kurama and not on the girl.

The slayer just gave him a scathing glare as she palmed a knife. The former Spirit Detective was entirely too grabby, in her opinion.

Yusuke's grin died, seeing the glittering edge to the sharp weapon, but the taiji-ya only bent to pick up the pair of dead birds, one of whose heads lolled. Man, was that disturbing. He didn't like his soon-to-be-breakfast staring back at him with its tongue protruding, as if giving him the raspberry.

Yusuke scowled.

"I think it would be best if you go and gather some firewood, Yusuke." Kurama's distinctly chilly voice broke into the detective's preoccupation and Yusuke grinned again, recalling the expression in the fox's green eyes when he hugged the slayer.

_Totally_ worth it.

"Okay." He was in an agreeable mood and went off with a cheesy, knowing smile to go find some damn wood. It wasn't hard, given they were in the middle of a damn forest. He was quick about it, and made two trips with a little more grumbling on the second go when Kurama indicated he hadn't brought enough on the first. But the fox had a small fire going by the time he returned, a weird kind of pot starting to boil as the girl reappeared with two stripped bodies who resembled the whole chickens he was more used to buying at a grocery store. He set himself down on a convenient rock somewhat below Hiei's perch as he watched the taiji-ya expertly rig a type of tripod arrangement over the fire to cook the speared birds.

He was a little dubious, thinking burned chicken slung over an open campfire couldn't be all that great without any salt, but Kurama had been busy. His long fingers had stripped away the outer layers of some of the leafier plants he had gathered in his reed-woven basket earlier that morning. The two would-be gourmets rubbed and stuffed some of the herbs into the birds before stringing them up to cook. Yusuke soon grew bored watching them and flopped back to stare up at the strange sky as he rubbed his aching stomach. This killing and cooking your own shit sure took a long time. By the time those stupid birds were done, it'd be lunchtime!

"Tea's steeped, if you want a drink." He felt the fox looming above him and cracked open an eye, having closed them out of sheer boredom. Cloud-gazing wasn't exactly his thing, either.

"Tea." Yusuke's disgust was evident, but he took the pot, which was some weird collapsible thing made out of metal.

"You can thank Anei for the pot. She came prepared, as she so modestly put it."

"Huh." Yusuke blew on the contents before gingerly taking a sip. The pot wasn't

hot, the fox having allowed it to cool before offering it to his friends as a make-do mug. The drink was sharply bitter, but it did wake him up pretty thoroughly.

"Wow. That sure tastes like shit but it's not half-bad."

Kurama's mouth quirked. He was at his driest when he replied, "Thank you,

Yusuke."

Wiping his chin with the back of his hand, Yusuke grinned. "So, I'm forgiven?"

The green eyes slightly darkened, but the wily fox only asked in a mild, unaffected voice, "Is there a reason for you to be forgiven?"

Yusuke wasn't buying Kurama's act. He was a lot more perceptive than others often gave him credit for. He smirked, willing to play along--for now. "Not particularly."

"Heh." Kurama turned to glance up at the fire demon, who was watching them with a rather cool expression. "Tea, Hiei?"

Neatly jumping off his rock from a sitting position to land in a standing one right beside them, Hiei took the proffered pot and drank his fill. His gaze followed Kurama's, who couldn't quite keep his eyes from lingering on the girl, who was below them, all but oblivious of their regard as she tended to the fire. The aroma of roasted chicken was making Yusuke drool and he wondered irritably how much longer it would be.

"Gotta love a girl who can cook." He snickered as the two demons looked back at him. Teasing them sure took his mind off his growlly stomach.

"You really are a child, Detective." Hiei handed the pot back to Kurama before leaping back up to his abandoned perch.

"What?" Yusuke demanded, all innocence, and not fooling anyone with it.

Kurama just looked at him.

Yusuke felt a bead of sweat suddenly forming on his right temple.

"Food's ready!" Anei called, interrupting them.

"Thank God!" Yusuke shouted, leaping away from the kitsune. Damn, that had been _close!_

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sango picked at her chicken--or whatever it was--and stared off toward the forest, her mind preoccupied. She sat a little separated from the rest of them, her knees drawn up and the wide, bowl-shaped leaf Kurama had kindly provided as a plate for her share of the meal resting across them. Her back was nestled against the curve of the cave's outer wall and she was using her folded cloak as padding for her bottom. She had stripped the dual knife-belts off her, intending to go through the leather and test for any weakness in the stretched, damp harness. She also needed to take a whet-stone to her blades and check for any nicks. Stabbing knives into tree trunks was never a good idea if one wanted to keep the keenness of the blade intact.

She could hear the others slightly beyond and to the left of her. She glanced at them and saw Yusuke sucking the meat off a leg bone with a slurp, using his wrist to scruff at the grease on his chin and licking his fingers as he negligently flung the bone over his shoulder. Hiei made some derisive comment she couldn't hear and the ex-detective only laughed as he reached for another piece. Even Kurama was tucking into his food, though with far more neatness than the other two. Hiei had condescended enough to accept some of the chicken, and his portion had disappeared with the same speed with which he did everything, apparently.

This place was so strange and the people she now found herself with so different than what she could have ever expected. She felt restless, with the turmoil of her thoughts in regards to them, and more than a little pensive. She was so used to being alone--it was strange how easy she felt in their company, now that she could no longer hold a grudge against the fire demon. It was hard to, after he had tickled her, of all things. Not to mention that instant when she had thought that he just might--she cut the thought off quickly, flushing slightly as she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes.

Spiky-haired and red-eyed, he could scarcely pass for human. Although he did not sport the pointy ears or claws most demons favored in their human guises, there was the rather obvious presence of his Jagan eye, which stared unblinking from the middle of his forehead, the iris a rather pretty shade of lavender. He had never bothered replacing the white bandana he normally wore to cover it, and his thick black bangs curled on either side. There was a frosting of white edging the upper bangs which spiked above the tangle of his lower bangs, and his hair stood up a good six inches in almost a candle's flame-like silhouette. He was wrapped in the black cloak-like coat that he used as an outer garment, not having a shirt underneath, though the white scarf-like collar at the top seemed like it could be one. She was curious about the white bandage he kept wrapped over his right arm, from knuckle to bulging bicep, but it might only be some type of arm-guard for his sword, which he was particularly adept at using.

He was not tall, but he was well-built. Even wrapped in the ambiguity of his black cloak, he exuded a sense of power and strength. Not demon strength, as in aura or energy--though he had that in plenty--but there was that assuredness about him of a warrior who knew well his own physical limits. It was something worn unconsciously, and probably something a man would never detect, even in another. But she was a warrior trained in an era where women were not, and she had picked up on certain things, a defense for her lighter strength by judging others--her opponents, at least--quickly for physical prowess.

Yes, Hiei was strong. He was also quick. Very quick. Even her own heightened speed and agility, granted by Kagura's heart, were nothing to his, and she didn't like that fact.

He was not unhandsome--typical for a demon who could affect a more human form than his natural one. Her father had always warned her that the most dangerous demons were ones who could assume the guise of a man. Funny how the youkai who reviled humans so much were always striving to look more like them. She had never understood that. Some of the most beautiful beings she had ever seen had been but youkai putting on a dreamy face, masking their true selves with the enviable beauty they could wrap themselves in.

Hiei did not have the unearthly beauty Kurama had had in his Youko form--not that Kurama was any less beautiful in his human form, which seemed more earthy than the ethereal, white-haired god to masculinity he had appeared to be the first time she had seen him. Funny, it had been easier to dismiss Youko from her thoughts than it was proving with his more human counterpart. The other was almost too perfect, as most demons were, and she had known many of them in her long life. They became, after a time, like a fine statue one could admire but not fancy. Kurama as he was in his human form was so much more approachable--it disturbed her _how_ much more approachable.

She was silly to even be thinking of such things. Didn't she have so much more she should be thinking about? Like Naraku? And Kohaku? And how she might go about killing one and freeing the other? But still she watched the three young men out of the corner of her eye even as she pretended not to. There was an easy familiarity between the three of them that was almost enviable. She missed that. It was something she had had with her friends, back when she was still human and they were still chasing the Jewel shards across Japan. Life had been so uncomplicated then…

She would depress herself with such thoughts. Dispiritedly picking at her plate, Sango forced herself to eat, knowing she needed the nourishment. Her energy was recovering, but still passing out last night and sleeping like the dead had not restored it fully. That was another disturbing revelation--that she had used so much of it that she had all but dropped unconscious at the first chance she could.

Her demonic energy was not something she used all that frequently--rather, she preferred to use the benefits it gave her of buoyancy and revitalization, quick healing and outer sensing. Her own small gift of spiritual sensing--which had served her well as a taiji-ya to detect the presence of demons, if they were strong enough for her to detect--had somehow bonded with her demon aura, which enhanced her own small, natural ability. She had spent some time exploring the limits of it, developing the senses to feel out the presence and proximity of youkai energy around her. Honed to a fine tool under the tutelage of a passing sage she had met sometime in the late 1600's, she had felt she had known the limits of her power, but it seemed she had overstepped her small knowledge and now ranged into un-chartered territory.

It might even be the jyaki that existed everywhere in this place that was forcing her to use more of her own energy than she could realize. She didn't _know_, and didn't like that fact one bit, but could hardly ask without revealing just how little she did.

That was all mere speculation, really, and did not have any true bearing on what was really bothering her--which was her odd reaction to the three men who sat just beyond her, chatting and laughing like the best of friends that they were. She felt trust when she shouldn't, felt a part of them when she daren't, and felt a haunting sense of attraction, especially to two of them, when she didn't need the foolish complication of it. Granted, all three were healthy young men in their prime, but she had been around many of those, and they hadn't affected her like _this_.

Sango's fingers tensed until the knuckles were white as her hands curled into fists on either side of her. This was exactly why she had always traveled her road alone. Because the weakness of her spirit--as had the weakness of her flesh in the past--would prove her undoing. What _was_ she doing? She _should_ be focused on only one thing--and that was Naraku. Only Naraku--and only her brother. For even as she sat here ogling three demons, he was trapped out there, somewhere, under Naraku's control, as he had been for five hundred years.

_Five hundred years._

And for that same time, she had been too weak, _always_ too weak, to free him and

see an end to it. And now--now she was stuck here, waiting on her own weak body to heal itself, its energy, as she was stuck here waiting on them to heal theirs, for she knew, she _knew_, that she couldn't find Naraku on her own. No, she needed them, for she was too weak to do it on her own.

How pathetic! But that was the way it had always been--_she_ was the one always too weak. Too weak to save her family and her village. Too weak to prevent Naraku from taking her brother and using him as a puppet to pull at the very strings of her anguished heart for his own malicious amusement. Too weak to stop the foul oni, and too weak to save poor Kohaku, or to even save herself, there in the end, during that final battle, when both her nekomata and her beloved houshi had sacrificed themselves to save _her_ from her own weakness.

She had watched them both die in agony and in pain, too weak to stop them or prevent the terrible inevitability of it as the scene unfolded in ponderous detail right before her very eyes. Even the heart-wrenched scream that had been ripped out of her in denial as they had both disappeared in a torrential storm of wind-raised blood and fire had only come out as the weakest whisper of sound as the dark hanyou's tentacles had tightened around her, preventing even a deeper breath to shriek her stunned grief to the world…

And then her weak body had betrayed her, her breath grown ragged until she had blacked out from the lack of air, to be tossed aside by the sneering hanyou as too pathetic to even bother and kill, even as he had redirected his attention on her two remaining friends. She had come to only long enough to see Kagome struck down even as her arrow and Inuyasha's Wind Scar had shredded the stunned oni to pieces. Only Naraku's fuchsia globe of protection had swept up to protect him at the last minute as Inuyasha pulled the limp, white body of his beloved into his arms, tears coursing down his cheeks as he had stumbled to the well, the nearly completed Shikon no Tama clenched in Kagome's fist by the broken chain from around Naraku's neck.

Crawling to her knees, Sango had been too weak to prevent Naraku from sweeping up her brother's body, her outstretched hands only holding empty air as he laughed madly, his eyes glinting bloodily as he disappeared into the exploding Void caused by Miroku's death. She had been left there, alone, on the bloody battlefield of the dark hanyou's abandoned castle, which had suddenly appeared right in the middle of Inuyasha's woods, crushing the trees aside like so many matchsticks as it abruptly materialized amidst them.

And even as she watched, the castle had started to fade, and she had lurched to her feet, stumbling inside, desperately hoping that it would take her to wherever her brother and Naraku had disappeared to. But the abandoned castle had only rematerialized in its original place--the place where it had all begun, three years before. The place where her father had died at her brother's hands, and her weakness had allowed poor Kohaku to be taken from her to be used as the dark oni's tool.

She had staggered out of the castle, the vertigo that had accompanied the abrupt transition from Inuyasha's wood to Lord Kagewaki's lands having left her dizzy and stumbling. She had fallen to the ground, the ineffectual tears trailing down her cheeks as she realized that both her brother and the evil hanyou were past her reach, for the only way the haunted castle would return to its origins would be if Naraku were no longer in _this_ world to anchor it to his will. She had pounded her fists into the dirt, her screams of loss and frustration and thwarted anger at being denied _again_ bouncing and echoing off of the brooding stone walls around her until her throat was raw and her eyes dry and burning from the tears that could no longer fall.

She had sat there on her knees, her fingers curling into the ashy clay, and could only heave dry sobs that slowly quieted to stillness as her weak body betrayed her unspeakable sorrow with utter exhaustion. It was then that she realized, with dawning horror, that she was sitting on the very place that she had once been buried, together with her arrow-pierced brother, by the young Lord's men. She had awoken to soiled darkness and the smell of rotting flesh. The icy terror of being buried alive had forced her to ignore the pain of her wounds to claw herself free, gasping for breath as she finally emerged from the heavy grip of the earth. She was determined to live, and to avenge herself and her family.

But she knew how useless a vow that was, if Naraku had fled to the demon realm, as she suspected with the castle reappearing solid once more on its original foundations. She knew she could not survive for long in Makai, as a human, but she thought that maybe she could survive for just long enough to see it done and finished. She wished for nothing else, then. Not life--for how could she live it, without Miroku and Kirara? And certainly not peace--for how could she ever have that, either, knowing how much she had failed them? She just wished for closure--and the chance to make right her family and friends' senseless deaths.

She had staggered to her feet, her wobbly legs barely supporting her as she lurched back inside the castle, hoping to find some way to follow her brother and the loathsome hanyou to wherever they had fled. The distant thought that Naraku had had many demonic artifacts and tools that they had never seen, one of which might even prove useful to her cause, had spurred her on. That was when she had stumbled across the one thing she had not thought of--Kagura's heart. And it had come to her, the sudden thought, that _here_ was her chance, if she dared to take it and to use it, to ensure that she would not fail again.

But even Kagura's heart had not proved enough to overcome her own weakness. She had sacrificed her family's honor in order to receive the bare chance to see an end to it all, accepting a despised demon's heart to supplant her own and knowing full well she was giving up her very humanity by the doing. And _still_ she had proven too weak, even with the aid of Kagura's heart, to cross the barrier between the human and demon worlds. She had seen centuries pass, fighting her way through the anger and bitterness and long denial of a revenge grown old and sour for the years it took to see it realized. And now that she had it in her grasp, now that it was _finally_ within reach--now her very own weak and baser emotions were playing with her, proving her weak once more, even in fortitude.

The glowing red eyes of the despised baboon danced before her churning thoughts with a mocking laugh. It mocked her despair, and the knowledge of her weakness, and the ever-ready rage built, answering the memory of that contemptuous laugh as the sardonic smile beneath the mask of the white monkey curved across the despised hanyou's face in her mind's eye. The rage was always there, just seething beneath the surface, and she fought it, silently, only her narrowed eyes and her fisted hands and the slight trembling of her shoulders telling of the silent battle within.

The darkness and rage lay ever-seething inside her, and she fought the ugly bitterness down as her impatience warred with her dwindling sense of reality. She needed to release it somehow--somehow where she wouldn't betray the rage that hovered just inside her. It had taken her over before, this rage, born from her own impotence and weakness. Her chest burned, her heart--no, _not_ her heart, it was _Kagura's_ heart--beating harder inside her chest. She knew from the past that the faint, spider-like scar that lay across her skin and between her upper breasts would be darkening into purple-black lines, glowing slightly as if Naraku's madness seethed within her own boiling blood.

She had rejected it, before, this rage. She could again. There had been too many other times when it had won, and she had been all but mindless with the vengeful wrath that filled her until it boiled over, only retreating when she had let the blood-fever wear off in the aftermath of battle. It took death--bloody death dealt by her own bloody hands on youkai flesh--to release it, but there were other ways, if she caught it soon enough. She had lived this way for untold centuries, and she knew with bitter awareness that it was only one price of many she had paid for the despised privilege of having a youkai's heart buried inside her chest.

She was on her feet, drawn sword in hand, and vanishing down the rock-strewn hill and out among the trees from one moment to the next, her lips white and her shadowed gaze chilling even as she left the others to gape as her abrupt disappearance.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Um…" Yusuke blinked at the sudden silence, a greasy chicken bone half-way to his opened mouth. The slayer's abandoned leaf was still falling gently over her scattered breakfast in the wake of her sudden departure. Her empty scabbard clattered to the ground, the rattle loud in the arrested stillness.

"Hiei?" Kurama glanced at the demon, who scowled.

"Don't tell me, Kurama, you didn't feel her aura building. It's not surprising she's so impatient, if what you tell me is true. She's angry, but she is just going into the woods to work it off."

"The suddenness of it doesn't surprise you?"

"No." The demon folded his arms across his chest, seemingly with no intention of moving from his chosen seat as Yusuke glanced from one to the other in confusion. "She has no true control over her demonic energy, not consciously. It's bound to spring forth now and again."

"Couldn't that be dangerous?"

"Not for her." Hiei shrugged.

"Are you certain of that?"

"No." The red eyes met the fox's sharp gaze with bland indifference.

Kurama's fists tightened and he abruptly stood up.

Yusuke, not entirely sure what was going on, was still game for bouncing off this

damn rock and finding out just what, exactly, had his red-haired friend so upset. Tossing his chicken negligently over one shoulder, he stood up as well. "I don't know what kind of wild hair that chick just got up her ass, but if you're so worried, Kurama, than I'm going with you."

"Hn." Hiei looked distinctly displeased. "I already told you, fox, it's nothing for you to concern yourself with. She's just going to work off some of her excess energy."

"Wait a minute--I thought the whole object of us lazing around this damn cave was for us to _regain_ our energy," Yusuke growled, hands on his hips.

"It is," Hiei growled back, look impatient. "But considering she over-used her jyaki--what little she allows herself to admit to having--last night, and the lack of conscious control she has over her demonic aura, I'm not surprised by the backlash of energy spilling over her control as she regains it."

"Huh?" Yusuke didn't quite get it.

"It's like a cup overfilling, Yusuke," Kurama explained, his green eyes boring into the fire demon's bland gaze. "She has no control over her own aura--for some reason she has chosen to reject it. She poured the cup of her energy out last night, and in Makai, it's like she's turned a shower on full force instead of using the tap to fill it back up. She has no control over the strength of her returning energy, and needs must use it or be overwhelmed by it."

"Okay, I get it, but that still doesn't explain why she just took the fuck off without saying a word to any of us."

"Please, Detective. A child could figure that out. She was suddenly overwhelmed with it, and only knows how to release her demon energy through physical means. She's going off on her own to expend it. There's no need for us to involve ourselves."

"Truly?" Kurama demanded, his gaze challenging for some reason. "You don't think, Hiei, that your little near-fight earlier this morning in the unicorns' valley didn't trigger something?"

"Hmph."

"Her jyaki was strong enough then to bring the entire herd's wrath down on your heads, and you don't think that now, only a few hours later, that it isn't stronger?"

"She's not your concern, fox."

"Woah." Yusuke shied back from the sudden darkening in Kurama's eyes, hands held up in surprise.

"You show so little concern yourself, Hiei. I wonder if you are just frightened of the depth of your own feelings."

The demon's sword was out with a single scrape of steel against the sturdy wood of his scabbard. "You go too far, Kurama. Even for _you_."

"Hey! Guys?" Yusuke stared from one to the other, taken aback by the sudden anger blooming between the two demons. The air was fairly sizzling between them and he was startled by the flat growl in Kurama's voice as he replied.

"And you will never go far enough, my friend, and will never admit that it's fear that drives your caution."

"Damn you, fox--"

"HELLO! Can you guys get a fucking grip on yourselves? What the hell's gotten into you two? Sheesh!" Yusuke jumped between them, fists held at the ready to start swinging. "Do I have to start knocking your heads together just to get some damn sense into them? What the hell do you think you're doing? It's like some weird type of vibe has just broken out to influence both of you! You _never_ fight! Not you guys! What the fuck is going on?"

Both demons stiffened, and Kurama's eyes widened. "Yusuke--what do you mean by influence?"

"Hell if I know, Kurama! I just know both of you are acting like a pair of crazy crackheads, ready to go and fight one another. What the hell's gotten into to you two?"

Hiei abruptly sheathed his sword. "The Detective might have suddenly stumbled across something vital, in his own stupid, bumbling way."

"Now wait just a minute, three-eyes!"

Ignoring him, Hiei stared at the fox, whose mind was churning as he bit his lip. Looking up, Kurama said, "Could her aura be powerful enough to influence the jyaki around her?"

"Yes." Hiei sneered. "I'm surprised you couldn't tell that for yourself."

"Not with your depth or precision, my friend." Kurama lightly touched the middle of his forehead, indicating the apparition's third eye, which was glowing slightly. He had never bothered to re-cover it after the jyaki called up in the valley this morning had burned the bandana away. The fox's voice was soft, and faintly chagrined. His look was both apologetic and challenging. Hiei knew it was the only apology he would get from the red-haired young man, though that was fair enough, as he had no intention of apologizing either. What was said was said, and could not be recalled. Not that it mattered all that much, anyway.

"So let me get this straight--" Yusuke frowned, fists back on his hips. "--what I'm hearing from you two is that Anei is boiling over with some kind of mad energy and that it's influencing the very _air_ around us? I shouldn't be so surprised--she is a wind demon, or whatever."

Hiei shot the detective a startled glance as Kurama hissed in his breath. "Than there really is no time to waste, Yusuke. For if she influenced us enough to feel anger towards each other, than think what she could do in the middle of a demon forest."

Surprisingly, Yusuke's brown eyes lit up as he punched a fist into the air. "Oh, _hell_, yeah!"

"Have you lost what little mind you have, Detective? Do you understand the consequences of unleashing that type of angry influence in the Forest of Fools? It was enough, before, to rouse an entire unicorn herd!" Hiei snarled, jumping down to confront the exuberant youth.

The ex-detective's smile only grew wider. "Shit, yeah, I'm thinking 'bout it, three-eyes! I've been itching for a good rumble since that jerk ancestor of mine stole my fight with Sensui. Those stupid birds last night weren't nothing but a warm-up and way to stretch my muscles. If that crazy assassin-chick can get a whole demon wood riled up, just _think_ of the possibilities!"

"I am, Detective." Hiei met Kurama's eyes with a grim gaze. "I am."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: You know those instructions on a shampoo bottle that say "Rinse and Repeat?" Well, I can't thank everyone enough for all the wonderful reviews, so here's my Thanks and Repeat. ;o)_

WARNING! GORY DETAILS!

WORD DEFINITIONS

_**Chapter Ten**_

Life was irony. Just a few hours ago, he had been lamenting the fact that he was always the one too cautious to just up and take off without carefully planning each action and the various consequences that action might bring. And yet here he was, literally running as his mind churned in too many directions for him to grasp at anything other than the need to catch up with the taiji-ya and stop her before she set the whole wood to riot.

Not that he had any real information to go on, just the haunting suspicion that Anei's ignored demonic aura could somehow reach out to influence those around her.

Suspicion? No, it was more than that. Kurama was just too conscientious to discount any theory, no matter how remote, without empirical evidence to the contrary. But he knew, instinctively, that that must be it, for the detective was right. He would never have been so sharp with Hiei if he hadn't felt the edgy irritation rising up within himself. It was only in hindsight that he could assess it with any sort of true detachment. There had been a strange vibe--as Yusuke had so quaintly put it--to the air, as if there was a poison in the very energy surrounding them, affecting their own jyaki with an insidious influence too faint for them to even be consciously aware of.

That was troubling, for he knew--also, instinctively--that it wasn't something done deliberately. The taiji-ya had no real reason to--and he liked to think himself perceptive enough to understand enough of her character that she would not do anything so duplicitous. That was not her way. She was too forthright for that.

But he knew full well, as did Hiei, that she also had no conscious control over her demonic energy. Or she had very little. It was as if she only accepted certain parts of herself for what she was, and even then, not completely. He knew full well that dilemma, for he had had to come to terms with his own youkai and human natures. He struggled still to find his own path between balancing Youko's wishes and his own uncertainty, but still he could not help but be who he was--human _and_ youkai.

But for all her possession of a demon heart, it was as if she separated her _self_ from it. And though the heart's presence ensured a physical meshing with her own body and blood, there was no true mingling between her human chi and the demonic aura that surrounded her. How she could ignore that fact was beyond his comprehension, but it seemed that she had some unconscious use of it--for even last night she had reached out to the shadows around her, purely on instinct, to obscure herself among them. And when he had called her on it, she had been surprised enough for it to stop, completely, as if her energy had been flipped off like a switch by her own sudden awareness of it.

That was particularly insidious, and he could not even know what influences were mixed into her demon blood. For that heart must have pumped inside another at one time, and who knew what filaments of demonic awareness were attached to it. And if she had no conscious knowledge of that fact, than it could be so much worse--for then she could be reaching out to those around her to influence them as well, all unsuspecting. And that could be dangerous, especially here, in Demon World.

In Makai, demon energy existed in everything--from smallest seedling to tallest mountain. Jyaki was the life-force of this realm, and it was in the very air one breathed, the very rocks one tread, the very souls of its demonic inhabitants. Youkai were smarter than humans in that they had learned early on how to harness and use such energy, the life-force that existed in their realm. Humans had chosen to ignore that life-energy in favor of developing more physical skills. They far-outstripped the other realms when it came to such things as technology and science, but they lagged far behind when it came to what one might term psychic ability, which both the denizens of Spirit World and Demon World had developed to a fine art.

But that was neither here nor there. That was all mere speculation, and his complex mind was just working overtime as he raced through the forest, extending his senses to locate her. She couldn't be too far ahead of them--he could even catch her scent, though it was faint, and the direction troubled him, for there was a darkening feel to the area ahead that tingled along his nerves with familiar warning.

He glanced up, seeing the shadowy blur that was Hiei as he moved through the trees. The short demon would soon pass him. Yusuke was right at his heels as they both dashed through the tangling underbrush, dodging past the trees that seemed to continually bar their way. Kurama could feel the air growing still around him, as if the whole forest held its breath, and Yusuke's eyes were lit with an unholy glee, as if his own eagerness was rising with the ominous jyaki that now filled the air.

Pushing through the last barrier of tangling leaves, Kurama burst into the clearing with a rose between his fingers, ready to meet any threat that came forth. Yusuke landed heavily beside him, his fists curled and the wide grin that split his face particularly blood-thirsty.

But they both froze, Yusuke's grin slowly dying as they realized there was nothing in the clearing save the girl, who had pirouetted to face them, her sword reflexively held up in defense. Her chest heaved and her black hair was in a sweaty tangle across her cheeks and forehead as she panted, having paused in the middle of a hard, physical workout. Her eyes were wide and she seemed surprised to see them.

Everything was still, ominously so, and yet she seemed unaffected by it, for she relaxed her guard upon seeing them, a single brow raising in inquiry just as all hell broke loose.

Kurama instinctively shied just as Hiei's wordless shout gave warning. He went left as Yusuke went right, both of them jumping out of the way to avoid the sudden crushing boulder that was flung where they had stood just a scant second before. Kurama twisted in mid-air, summoning his rose-whip with a sharp command even as he raised his other arm to protect his head from the gravel that was flung everywhere as the boulder abruptly shattered, sending rocky projectiles in every direction. There was a scream of foiled rage and he ducked as a flying shadow swooped past him.

His whip was already unfurling, circling around the unknown flyer to tighten around it and split it in two against the sharp thorns. Blood and ichor splattered everywhere as the bat-winged eyeball was torn in half. Kurama was too busy to notice the second that swooped towards him, the eyeball of its body glowing with a bloody light as it squealed in frustration as the fox slid away from it at the last moment. It came too close to a pair of racking talons and desperately tried to back-wing in retreat, but was too slow. The fur-backed boar youkai howled its triumph even as it turned back to the fox, who had been its first opponent before the flying eyeball had interfered.

Having disposed of the first eyeball, Kurama had turned to find the boar snarling at him, its normally pink eyes glowing with the ruddy light of demonic rage. Standing upright, the boar youkai was hardly porcine--it had the tusked snout and coarse head of its piggy nature, but had the furry back and raking claws of a hunting cat. Its tail was long and whiplike, the end having a tuft of black hair on it reminiscent of his living world cousin's, but hardly the same useless appendage.

Kurama had only a few seconds to spare to measure the beast before its attack was diverted by the second flying eyeball, and he was beset by a herd of squealing goats. Their curling horns were sharp, as were their small hooves. They did not have the jyaki to overcome their hircine natures, but if he fell beneath their hooves, he was dead. Their eyes, usually a mild black--for they were relatively harmless in normal circumstances--were glowing the same bloody rage that claimed every demon who descended on the clearing, attracted by the insidious aura that the taiji-ya was putting out.

For he could feel it, behind and slightly to the right of him. It was like sensing the center of an imminent strike of lightning in the swirling clouds of a gathering storm. The darkness seethed there, the anger sending out steady vibrations that edged along his spine and set the fine hair on his arms to standing. He grit his teeth, fighting back the waves of furious jyaki that beat at him even as his whip lashed out, keeping back those demons who had succumbed to the evil miasma into acting as if they were all caught up in a blood-madness of utter rage and fury.

A bear roared across the clearing, beating its chest just before pouncing on the ex-detective, who met it with a shout of pure joy. Kurama saw Yusuke's fist connect solidly along the bear's cheek, and the bear roared in agony before pouncing again. The fox was too busy, then, to see what happened next, for the boar youkai was back, flinging a goat aside as it squealed in angry defiance.

But the boar was pushed aside by a snarling wolf, who had launched itself on the boar's back, its snapping jaws sinking into the soft fur of the boar's unprotected neck as the youkai screamed and thrashed wildly. Kurama jumped away from the wolf's brothers, who had turned their red-eyed attention from him to the boar as the first one attacked it. Kurama watched in horror as the boar disappeared beneath their swarming bodies, and then hissed as something scraped along his cheek for his momentary distraction.

He dodged the second attack, and a third, the rain of tiny darts increasing as he realized that it was leaves, turned into sharp blades by the youkai who controlled them. No stranger to using plants as his weapons, the fox demon easily dodged the tiny green spears, seeking the source. He found it, a demon dryad perched on a tree as she turned normally mild green eyes on him that glowed with unholy rage.

This one was only two feet tall, slender and lithe, her dusky brown skin and darker green hair blending with the leaves that swayed around her on the tree branch she stood upon. Normally, the wood nymphs were simple creatures, only defending their chosen tree's territory and attracting their rodent prey with the lilting music they could summon in the twilight. The dryad's fangs were barred and she snarled at him, her hands moving in a complicated pattern as she sent the rain of leaves scissoring back at him.

Kurama turned in a full circle, his whip swirling behind him in a solid wall of speedy defense. The thorny length shredded the sharp leaf-blades out of the air even as they fell upon him. The dryad howled and would have sent more, but a passing owl-youkai descended with open claws to try and pluck her from her branch. She barely dodged the owl's attack, and they started fighting in earnest as Kurama slid away from them.

He needed a moment to see what was happening with his friends, but the continuous rush of angry demons was a sweeping tide that had no end. His whip snapped out, wreaking havoc among those beasts attacking him, but his opponents were as sudden to turn on each other as they were on him, and he could not know what would turn on him next in the utter chaos as the mad bloodbath continued. The anger seemed to grow, as if feeding on the very jyaki summoned by it, and he spent half his time fighting off the eerie feeling that twisted inside his gut, telling him to give in to the rage, even as he spent the rest of his time fending off those less powerful demons who had.

He caught glimpses, now and then, of Hiei and Yusuke. Hiei was a blur of death and destruction, his sword out and cutting a swath back and forth as he laid waste to his side of the clearing. He appeared now and then in a dodge or a snarl as his sword stabbed and cut. Blood rained on that end of the small field, and Kurama could only frown, his expression grim as he pushed back as many of his attackers as he could, trying to disarm or dissuade them without causing too much harm. It was not the smartest tactic--he was fighting in closer quarters than he liked, and came too close to getting hurt himself a time or two because of it, but he could not but feel sorry for the demons mindlessly attacking them. Most were of a lower level than himself, and did not have the wits or jyaki to fight off the insidious hate that was poisoning the very air around them. It was summoning them to their slaughter, and his own anger unfurled inside of him at the injustice and pure waste of it.

He was able, in short glimpses stolen as he pushed his current opponent--a large cougar youkai, who stood on two and four feet with equal ease--back, to see Hiei's third eye glowing with a bloody light. The short demon seemed to thrive off of the angry jyaki that surrounded them, and had none of the fox's compunctions about killing his mindless foes. Yusuke, too, seemed to delight in it, but strangely, also seemed the least affected. He was happiest when kicking ass of any kind, and perhaps his unfettered joy at the virtual insanity that reigned around them in bloody snarls and mindless, raging battle was protecting him somehow from the very evil that was infecting everything and everyone else. Kurama could see the detective laying out his foes with a single-minded intensity, his smile wide as his eyes danced and he shouted insults and bad jokes with equal abandon.

The cougar snarled, baring its bloody jaws as its red eyes glinted dangerously. It swiped at him, retreating with a sharp yowl on a bleeding hind-leg that it hardly seemed to notice. Its rage was too high, and Kurama could not stand to see the beast so senseless. With his lips set in a grim line, Kurama snapped the end of his whip just over the cougar's head, sending it leaping back without harm, and then watched in horror as a goat charged it, knocking the cougar off balance and distracting it just long enough for a giant ogre with six eyes in its faintly amphibian face to smash its skull beneath one giant foot as it bellowed its triumph.

The ogre's triumph was short-lived, for a sword was sunk into its back, the bloody point protruding for a moment from its chest before being yanked back violently. The ogre fell, taking the goat with it beneath the crushing weight of its falling body, and Kurama stared at the taiji-ya, whose eyes were black holes in her white face as she stared at him with seemingly no recognition.

"Anei!" he shouted, and she seemed to blink, awareness and recollection coming back for a moment before she shied away from the swooping skull that flew above her head. Her sword arced up, neatly slicing the grinning skull in twain as she turned to face the snarling advance of a pair of wild lizard youkai. They spat acid, and Kurama didn't hesitate to decapitate them before they could strike at the unprotected slayer. His whip circled out around her, and she retreated to his side as he sent it rippling up to take out another flying bird-youkai, this time a death-crow, who screamed mindlessly as he killed it.

"Why are there so many of them?" she demanded in a hoarse breath as she lunged for another demon, this one an attacking jackal. Kurama was too busy taking out the jackal's three pack-mates to reply, but he was stunned.

_'She doesn't even realize that she's the one--'_

His thought was cut off as one of the jackals turned in midair, managing to get under the cutting thorns of his deadly whip to launch itself for his throat. Anei's sword was suddenly there, stabbing the snarling jackal in the heart, the blood spattering across her arm and wrist as she snarled herself.

"Damn them! Why are demons always so blood-mad!" Her anger beat out of her in menacing waves as she pulled her sword free to whirl toward yet another foe. "They constantly attack the weaker, always en masse, always hoping to defeat by sheer numbers! Well, I won't _let_ them!"

Kurama froze at the rage and loathing in her voice, the wretched pain that hid behind it and laced through the taiji-ya's snarl as she landed another blow on the screaming earth demon who sent rooty tendrils shooting in her direction. A second boulder flew towards them, and Kurama shouldered her out of the way with his own body, pushing her towards the tree the demon dryad had attacked him from earlier. There was no sign of the little youkai, but there was fresh blood smeared across the upper trunk where her branch joined the tree's bole, and his knuckles whitened around the butt of his rose-whip at the end that must have come to the little dryad.

"This slaughter is senseless!" he snarled, overcome by his own anger at the terrible pointlessness of it all. He turned on the slayer, whose brown eyes widened as he growled at her, green eyes furious, "Damn it, Anei, stop this madness!"

"What are you talking about?" she cried, completely oblivious to the fact that it was her rejected aura that was seeping out to set the entire wood insane. She kicked out at a slobbering furball with extra-long teeth, sending it sailing off like a football even as he grabbed her arm with his free hand.

"Damn it, taiji-ya, it's you who's causing this--" His green eyes bore into hers, his teeth gritting as much to keep his fangs from growing with the anger that stirred within him at the incredible puzzle of it--that she could be so oblivious to the angry aura that spun around her in black waves of hate.

"What? Are you--" She slipped free of his hold to chop the head off of an attacking ogre whose raised club would have taken off both of theirs in one swipe if she had let it, and whirled back to confront him with a snarl, "--crazy?"

"Can't you feel it, Anei?" Kurama ignited his rose-whip so that red fire flared along the green length before spinning it around them to form a solid wave of shimmering light. The encroaching demons who circled around them would be burned for their pains if they dared touch that glittering bubble of defensive energy. Their attackers shrank back, offering a temporary relief to their immediate area as the fox turned back to confront the taiji-ya. "It's _your_ energy running wild, Anei! It's _your_ aura that's reaching out to the jyaki around us and _your_ anger that's feeding it!"

Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open in shock as he fronted her with all the rising anger at the whole senselessness of it all making his body glow with a white, ghostly aura. Youko growled along the back of his thoughts, irritated by the girl's stupidity in not realizing that there was a terrible price to be paid for rejecting what one was. Hers just happened to be reaching out to the world around her, sending her personal loathing for her demon side out to infect everything around them as it interacted with the demonic energy that existed everywhere in Makai. She should never have come to Demon World--and perhaps _that_ was why King Yama had forbidden her passage from the living realm.

"You can't be serious!" she cried, her eyes reddening slightly as her rage boiled up inside of her. "It's not me who is making these damn youkai attack us! It's in their very nature--"

"You fool!" Hiei suddenly appeared beside them, his sword flashing out to stab past them, where they faced each other, to take out the snapping maw of a snarling rat-demon, who had crept up on them while they were distracted with arguing with each other. The black-haired demon had lost his cloak, and there were cuts and scratches across his battle-taut muscles. The bandage wrapped around his right arm was soaked to the elbow in blood, though none of it was his, and his wild hair was splattered with it, as was half his snarling face. The Jagan eye was glowing with an iridescent shimmer, green now with the glint of his fury. "It's in _your_ nature as much as theirs!"

Anei stiffened, her eyes dark pools of horrified denial. "No--"

"Stop lying to yourself, _hanyou!" _Hiei spat, turning to take out the demon behind him with an ease that was almost too terrible in that the demon was only attacking them because of the girl he was snarling at.

_"I am not a demon!" _she screamed at him, her lips curling back over her bared teeth as her eyes took on the unholy glow of bloody wrath.

"Anei!" Kurama grabbed her shoulders in his hands and shook her. "Stop it! Can't you feel the anger rising up inside yourself? Can't you feel the center of the vortex of energy surrounding you? Your jyaki is driving this insanity, and denying it won't make it go away! Denying your true nature--"

"I'm not!" she cried, her eyes abruptly losing the bloody glow to glare into his, the brown depths shimmering with tears of terror that it was true.

"You are!" Hiei snarled, his sword dancing to keep the attacking demons at bay as Kurama held the girl in a two-handed grip and forced her to look up at him.

"Look around you, Anei! Feel the energy--where is it coming from?" Kurama's voice was gentle as he pleaded with her, for the look in her eyes was haunted.

"Damn you, demon--" she whispered in a hoarse refusal even as she extended her senses. He could feel the exact moment when she _knew_, for her body stiffened and her eyes widened with the terrible truth of it. "My god--it's true. It's--the energy--it's me, it's coming from me!"

And as if her words were a button on a remote, the vibrant anger that surrounded them in pulsating waves of insidious poison were switched off, and the strange energy abruptly disappeared.

"What the…?" Hiei whirled to face them, his crimson eyes wide at the sudden disappearance of the fitful energy around them.

"Holy crap, why's the air feel so weird?" Yusuke hollered across the field, just before he turned back around to yell at his fleeing opponent, "Hey! Come back here! Where the hell do you think you're going? We ain't done yet!"

The few remaining demons in the wood froze, their eyes blinking as the rage dissolved from their bloody pupils. A few continued the fight just long enough to end it permanently, out of instinct or just plain orneriness, but most of the others just turned and fled, as frightened by the scene of terrible carnage that lay across the blood-soaked clearing as they were by the blood and wounds on their own fur and claws. Those who could soon emptied the clearing completely, leaving the heavy silence to the dead and fallen. A crow cawed, a haunting note, before leaving the scene of grim butchery behind as the slayer turned stricken eyes toward the fox who still gripped her shoulders in his firm hands.

_"Why?" _she asked, her voice so terrible in its aching horror and sadness that it tore at the fox's heart, calling to the shadowed depths of his own soul to answer that forlorn whisper of a demand.

But Kurama could only shake his head as she huddled in on herself, her haunted eyes taking in the silent field as mute testimony to the carnage she had just unleashed with her foolishness.

Five hundred years she had been thus--and never known. What had happened during those years when she denied the madness in her youkai blood? What could--would--the knowledge cost her now?

He didn't know, and could only tighten his fingers on her shoulders with regret for her soul's pain to come, for only she could know what it had and what it would, now.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Wow, it's been a while. My apologies for the long wait, but I was busy taking part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which was a blast, though writing 50,000 words in one month was truly a challenge. Totally worth the late nights and mindless days, though. =) If anyone would like a link to the website, please drop me a note with your email address and I will send it to you.__ (Fate) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Sango closed her eyes, fighting back the tears of fright and remorse that threatened to spill over as her heart tightened inside her chest. Her fingers trembled on the bloodied hilt of her katana and she had the sudden desire to throw it away, as if it was tainted by the evil she herself was corrupted with.

_'It was me---my rage, my anger, my hate, seeping out to infect everything and everyone around me. Just like Naraku's poisonous miasma…oh, kami…what if it's _his_ influence which---oh, god.'_ She wanted to fall to her knees at the utter horror of it, that the evil oni might somehow be reaching out through Kagura's heart buried inside her chest to control her very actions. Even, perhaps, to make her betray all those around her as she had once betrayed her friends by stealing the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha. She had led them all into a trap in the hopes of freeing her poor brother from under Naraku's mindless control.

Worse was the haunting thought that this evil infecting her very blood had been going on for countless centuries, that she had been all but unaware even as she had fought countless youkai, her anger and bitterness growing as they continued to attack her, their very existence an affront to her who had always stood between her people and their despised kind.

The hands curving over her shoulders tightened. "Anei---please, say something. You are holding too much inside. You must---"

"Oh, come off it, Kurama." The fire apparition's voice was biting. "She's just wallowing in her own self-pity. How nauseating."

Sango's head jerked up and she shot the blood-splattered demon a look of utter anguish. "Damn you, demon, how could you even know what I'm thinking? Or what I've _done!"_

That last word was said with such agony and heartache, ripped straight out of the very depths of her tormented soul that even Yususke was taken aback. Staring around him at the bloody carnage unleashed around the clearing, he could only bite his lip and shrug helplessly when Kurama looked to him for support over the top of the girl's black head.

"This lamentation is entirely pointless," Hiei sneered.

"Hiei---" Kurama cautioned, but the fire demon was having none of it.

"You stupid human---it's because you've refused to accept the demon inside you that any of this has happened. Your self-loathing for what you are has allowed your demon energy to go out of control, and how many times has _that_ happened in the past?"

"Too many," she whispered hoarsely, turning her head aside in shame and closing her eyes tight to hold back the tears his words caused, for he was right. How many times had she gone into battle, her rage fueling her strength even as it must have reached out to madden the youkai she fought against? How many of those youkai had been influenced by her own madness so that they were caught as helplessly by it as these poor demons who had just died had been? How many times? How many? Countless battles she had fought and won against youkai over the centuries, the legend of her shadowy vengeance growing with each and every fight, and who knew now which battles might never have occurred if it hadn't been for her madness reaching out to suck her demonic opponents in, as the evil Naraku had once done, over and over again, pulling them into an insidious rage that could only boil over into pointless bloodshed.

Hiei was relentless, his scorn evident as he growled, "Fool! What has your self-hatred cost not only you but others? You despise youkai---when you only truly despise yourself."

Sango flinched, as if struck, for his sharp words rang truth.

Kurama pitied her but could say nothing, for Hiei was right. He met the fire demon's gaze over the girl's bowed head, the scent of her tears sharp in the air.

Hearing a slight sound behind him, the fire demon turned and casually thrust his katana into the wounded body at his feet. The youkai shuddered and then lay still as Hiei grimly drew his sword back out, having given mercy to one too wounded to ever rise again. His expression was chilling, his eyes hard as he snarled, "Your regret is meaningless to the dead. Sniveling about it won't help _them_."

Yusuke raised his hands, palms out and fingers spread as his mouth pantomimed a "Woah!" of dumbfounded agreement as he realized that Hiei had a damn good point.

She stiffened, her head shooting up as her mouth fell open. Her eyes were wide with shock, the brown depths glittering with the tears that had not yet fallen, her cheeks damp with the ones that had. Kurama stared down at her, his green eyes dark with pity for the harsh reality she had to now acknowledge.

Neither looked as they heard the fire demon's sword strike again, the slight noise as the wounded was given mercy loud in the heavy tension.

Her nostrils flared slightly as she took a deep breath, and the flash of pain in her eyes was quickly covered by a look of grim resignation. Her fingers tightened on her sword's hilt, and Kurama nodded slightly in silent understanding. She was a warrior, and although it was little to offer in the way of restitution, still he must let her go to do what she felt she must.

Her expression was wooden, her eyes blank as she set about the grim task of going through the bloody battlefield and dealing the mercy-stroke to the fallen. Hiei did not acknowledge her, only working his way through one side of the clearing as she did the other. Yusuke made a gesture as if to go help them, but Kurama only shook his head. This was for them to do. Hiei would not welcome their interference, and there were few enough of the poor wretches who needed to be put out of their misery. The fighting had been particularly vicious.

He was surprised, though, when Hiei stepped to the center of the bloody field and gestured for them to get back. Kurama gave him a questioning look, but the fire demon only glared. Clearing his throat, Kurama got both the detective's and Anei's attention, and waved them over to his side. With a quick look around to make sure there were no others needing mercy, Anei reluctantly walked back towards him. She was quiet, her expression unfathomable as she rejoined them. She turned her head to watch as Hiei struck his sword point-first into the earth and touched his fists together, his eyes closing as he gathered his concentration.

"Ah." Kurama nodded, understanding now. Yusuke quirked a brow in his direction, but the fox was too busy watching the fire demon as he summoned his jyaki around him to explain. The wind seemed to stir, pulled in by the black-haired youkai's summons, and the sodden fabric of Hiei's black pants stirred in rippling waves even as the spiky bangs swirled in the rising vortex of energy he now stood in. The Jagan eye was glowing, green fire shimmering in its depths as Hiei suddenly flung up his head, his joined fists springing free so that his open palms arced out in a sharp half-circle around him. A ghostly green fire spread out from his splayed fingers, igniting those bodies closest to him, but not touching the grass or forest they rested upon. Sparks flew from one body to the next, the flesh igniting and then vanishing along with the eerie flames as each was consumed in turn by the otherworldly blaze.

"Well, that's convenient," Yusuke noted wryly, his eyes resting on the fire demon, who stood in the center of the ghostly blaze, his whole body tensed with fierce concentration as he held the flames steady with only his own energy and control. Sweat glistened along the corded muscles that stood out in sharp relief across the demon's shoulders and arms, turning the dried blood pink as it dripped off of him in splatters that then went up in tiny green wisps of reactive flame and smoke.

Anei stepped forward to watch with a straight back and stiff manner as the green fire swept across the battlefield, leaving nothing behind except the slashed earth and churned turf to mark that anything had ever happened there. She was a silent sentinel to the eerie funeral pyre, and her head bowed as Hiei finally let the flames go with a last flick of his splayed fingers. The last spark died in a wisp of ghostly luminance as the glow finally dissolved from his third eye as the tension was slowly relaxed from his taut shoulders and rigid muscles.

The demon looked tired, and Kurama stepped gingerly across the now empty meadow to assess his condition. But Hiei just shook his head when the red-haired fox would have offered his assistance, wrapping both hands around his earth-bound sword and pulling it free with a jerk. The blade was still filthy with blood, so the demon knelt to wipe it off in the grass before sheathing it.

Anei silently did the same, her eyes dark and expression unreadable as Yusuke scruffed the back of his shaggy head with a rueful look. He shrugged when the two demons looked at them, but Sango straightened. Abruptly walking across the churned grass, she paused a moment as she met Hiei's stolid stare with her own before drawing herself up and bowing deeply.

"Thank you," was all she said, the words soft and yet firm.

"Hn." The red eyes only narrowed as the demon's lips thinned. His voice was cold as he said sharply, "That will not happen again."

"No," she affirmed, raising her brown eyes to his as she straightened. Her face was resolute, her shoulders squared as if she knew the personal struggle ahead to make it so. Kurama wondered if she really did.

"Well, guys, now what?" Yusuke deliberately broke the silent tension as he joined them, his brown eyes meeting Kurama's for a quick instant, showing that he understood fully the strange exchange between the girl and his three-eyed friend.

"A bath," Kurama said firmly, looking down at his splattered over-robe with acute distaste, and he was hardly as sullied as the others.

Sango nodded sharp agreement as Hiei looked sour and Yusuke shuddered. "Yeah, that would be nice, fox-boy. But I don't see any convenient bath-houses around here, do you?"

"You're about to learn another lesson in living rough, my friend," Kurama said with a chuckle of amusement as Yusuke groaned.

"Let me guess---that ice-cold spring?"

"Better than that," Kurama said almost cheerfully as he turned away from the field and started walking back to the cave.

Hiei snorted. "Not by much."

Sango silently followed them as Yusuke gave the kitsune a suspicious glance.

"I found a creek." Kurama smiled, and the ex-detective slapped a dirty hand to his forehead, leaving a smear of blood behind.

"Ain't that just great. I bet it's cold as all hell."

"At least it will get you clean, Yusuke."

"It'll probably shrink my balls right off, Kurama."

"If you had any," came the tired aside as the fire demon plucked his abandoned coat from off a tree limb. He didn't don it, having no wish to soil his only clean clothing.

"If you weren't so covered in blood, three-eyes, I'd---"

Sango gingerly followed the three friends, slightly taken aback that their attention could turn so quickly from the bloody battle that had just occurred. She cast a last glance over her shoulder as they exited the field, which now stood empty. A light breeze played across the torn earth and trampled grass, the only signs left that anything had even happened. She frowned, promising herself that she would not ignore Hiei's sharp rebuke. She could not regret what had happened, but now must find a way so that it would never happen again. She _had_ to---it was the only way to make up for the terrible things she had done.

"Anei?"

She turned her head as Kurama paused to look back at her, suddenly realizing she no longer followed, and she hurried her steps to catch up with them.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

The water was cool, but not as chilly as the mountain-fed streams of her home village. Still, it had been some time since she had had to resort to washing herself in a creek, but the small, secluded bend where she stood up to her thighs in splashing water was not so bad on the whole. The sharp turn in the water's course was surrounded by more of the willow-like trees that had shaded the small spring she had used that morning, and Sango idly wondered if the spring came from the same source as the creek, which was rather narrow and swift through the rocky outcrop she waded into from the grassy bank.

The water was surprisingly clear in the still pools between the piled stones that pulled the creek into almost an L-shaped change of direction. She knew that the three demons were bathing some length down from her, but was certain that any mess she made in the water would be cleared by the rocky gravel that cleaned the water both above and below her chosen spot. She had gingerly shucked off her jeans and shirt, wincing as some of the bruises and deeper lacerations from the battle earlier returned to throbbing life. She still wore her underwear and sports bra as she pulled her hair free from the ponytail tie she had bound it back with. Claiming the scrap of soap she had retained for herself after offering the rest of the trial-sized bar to the three men to use, she hastily knelt in the rushing water until she could duck her head under enough to wash her hair.

Scrubbing herself head to toe with a rather abrasive hand, Sango winced as she reopened a few of the deeper cuts, but watched with grim resignation as they closed right before her eyes, scarring over until only a faint line appeared. Even that would disappear in a few hours. Her body, with the help of Kagura's heart, was quick to heal.

Her wet hair was heavy against her back as she stood up to retrieve her clothing. She had thought to keep them dry, but the stiffened bloodstains on her black jeans and sleeveless turtleneck made her change her mind. Using the last of her soap, she worked over the sturdy fabric as much as could, squeezing the pinkish water out of both until it ran clear. Her expression was troubled as she laid her clothes flat on the bank to dry and hopped up on the grass beside them to comb out her damp hair. Her thoughts remained pensive and unable to really focus on anything as she avoided thinking of the one thing she should---which was how the madness had seeped out of her to infect the youkai of Makai into what was, essentially, a mindless frenzy of blood-lust and slaughter.

The problem was, she just didn't know how to approach the problem, or how she should even feel about it. Certainly, she felt regret and remorse to a sharp degree, and a certain haunting sense of horror, that she had possibly been the cause of how many senseless deaths over how many years that it was unbearable to think about. She could have sunk herself into despair just thinking of the past, but Hiei had already sneered at her that regret was useless to the dead.

He was right, damn him. And Sango knew it. She also knew how futile it would be to constantly beat herself up over what she had not known---though she was particularly good at that---beating herself up, rather. But that was as unworthy an action for the youkai she had just drawn to their deaths as was crying over the fact that she had. Her tears could not help them now---only her determination to see that it would never, _ever_, happen again.

She just didn't know how she might go about that. She had absolutely no idea. Both Hiei and Kurama had said that it was her failure to accept herself as a demon---a thought that still made her draw her knees up to her chest and shiver as she wrapped her arms around them---that was causing her rejected aura to reach out to influence those around her with the anger she felt for what she now was.

Hanyou is what Hiei had called her, and he was right, dang it. She was a hanyou, of a sorts, though the idea still appalled her, even with the terrible knowledge of what that rejection could mean. She knew she had to find a way to accept herself for what she now was, but it just felt so _wrong_.

She had gone against everything her family stood for in taking a demon's heart as her own. Her very humanity, something so precious to her kith and kin that they chose to protect their own kind against the demons who plagued them, was forsaken for the chance to take revenge on the evil hanyou who had taken away everything and everyone that had ever mattered to her. Abandoning that humanity, small as it was, and accepting the demon side of her just seemed---wrong.

But accept it she must.

So how could she do that?

Well, for one, she could start facing the reality that was.

Sango's eyes widened, as the thought hit her with sudden clarity. She had not accepted reality, because she just didn't want to. She didn't want to acknowledge the fact that she was, for all intents and purposes, something different than what her family would have ever wanted her to be. But she had chosen to take Kagura's heart as her own, had chosen revenge over death, and had done so with her eyes wide open to the fact that that was the choice she was making. She hadn't been forced to it. In fact, she had begged for it, begged and suffered and promised to never reveal herself to anyone she had ever known for the chance to live and gain the ability and strength to finally see an end to all of it.

She had to be brutally honest with herself. She had welcomed and even relished the benefits that had come with Kagura's heart. Strength of arm and sharper perception, quick healing and some use of the wind if she fed her energy to it---those were welcome assets to herself as a warrior. Even Kagura's influence---the influence she had been so afraid of, worrying that Naraku's madness was twined within what was essentially a creation out of his own essence---she had used that influence, embraced it and taken it for her own. Although she did not welcome all of it---the constant yearning for freedom, for one, was something she had to fight with her own determination to stay her chosen path---but wait, that was all wrong. For she had had that yearning before she had ever gained the wind demon's heart---she had always just felt guilty for the thoughts that would come to her now and again that she wished things had come out differently than how they had, that she could be someone other than who she was.

But that was merely being human. Or even youkai, really. One did wish they could be someone else, or somewhere else, from time to time. Any rational being with any spark of imagination had that kind of secret yearning, which could either bring about change in one's life or the resolution to deal with what one had and was.

Something she had not been doing.

Well, then it was high time to start.

Now decided and rather itchy for action, Sango uncurled herself to reach out and touch one leg of her jeans. They were still damp, but not so wet that she couldn't wear them. They'd been more wet today than dry, actually, what with her dunking in the spring by the unicorn foal that morning, and then the blood---she quickly shifted her thoughts from that, silently thanking Kagura's influence which allowed her to do just that. The kaze youkai had been rather good at shutting her emotions off when needed to do what she must.

Struggling into the damp fabric wasn't easy and she had to dig the clingy denim out of her rear end before buttoning them closed. Her shirt was drier, at least, though stiff. Sango frowned at her socks and boots, which she had at least wiped clean, though she couldn't wash the black faux leather. Wiggling her toes in the lush grass of the creek's bank, she shrugged. Shoving the damp socks and laces into her boot-tops, she picked them up instead of putting them on. Gathering her sword belt and draping it over her shoulder, she checked that she had taken everything before leaving the small bend behind to make her way back to the cave and their sometime camp-site.

There was no one there to greet her, save the abandoned ruins of their unfinished meal. Frowning, Sango dropped her burdens atop her folded cloak, adding her dual knife-belts to the pile after plucking the sharpest blade to sheath at the small of her back. It was a reflexive action---she was never one to be caught without some kind of weapon near to hand. She then went about cleaning up the litter of their lunch and tidying up a bit. She rose sharply upon hearing a distinctive whisper, and was greeted with a lifted brow of sardonic appraisal as the short fire demon suddenly appeared on the rocks above her.

He was bare to the waist, his cloak-like coat slung negligently over one shoulder with the tied laces of his boots, his sword held by the sheath in his right hand, the belt-straps dangling. He was still dripping wet, his hair rather flat to his head, though the ends were already curling. He frowned as she continued to stare, and Sango flushed.

"Hn." He jumped down beside her to dump his stuff even as Sango turned her attention to the others, who were returning at much more leisurely pace to their campsite, though Yusuke was complaining, as usual.

"A towel would be nice right about now. As would a comb. Some clean clothes. Hell, some dry clothes." The ex-detective was plucking at his raggedy jeans with a scowl as he shook his head, shaking water off the curling ends of his dark hair and trying to get it out of his eyes. "God, what I wouldn't give for some fricking hair gel."

"You'll survive, Yusuke." Kurama indulged his temperamental friend with a smile. He was bare to the waist, having donned only his pants. His shirt and over-robe were draped over his bent arm as he gestured toward the hilly prominence of the cave's entrance, where Sango and Hiei waited. "Perhaps you can ask Anei if you could borrow her comb."

"Hey, yeah---Anei---you got a comb?" Yusuke looked too hopeful as he bound up the hill like an eager puppy, brown eyes lit with eagerness.

Sango couldn't help but laugh as he nearly tripped over a rock in his zeal to get up the hill and barely saved himself by wind-milling his arms to keep his balance. Hiei snorted, jumping up to his preferred perch above the cave as Kurama followed the unabashed heir to the Mazoku with far more grace.

Sango retrieved her comb from among atop her cloak and handed it to the shaggy-headed boy. Yusuke kissed the comb like it was a gift from the gods, than sat himself down to attack his hair with sharp yanks and not a few searing curses.

"Don't break it, Yusuke," Kurama chided with a low chuckle as he finally reached the hill's summit. "I'll need to use it next---if I may, Anei?"

Sango nodded, rather distracted by the display of firm muscles that flexed across the kitsune's lightly tanned chest. Studiously turning her attention back to the loose pile of her belongings, she hoped to find something else that they could use, but knew there was not much else she had to offer than what she already had.

"Thank you," Kurama said, a little too politely, and then inquired after her bath.

"It was fine, thank you," Sango replied just as politely, though she blushed.

"That water was butt-ass cold, actually." Yusuke convulsively shivered.

"Hn."

Sango turned to look up at the short demon, who was finger-combing his spiky hair back into shape. It was already dry---possibly from his higher body temperature. He ignored her to smirk at the red-haired fox, who only gave him a flat look in return.

The eerie way they could hold entire conversations with just their eyes made Sango's shoulders twitch uncomfortably, so she ignored them to spread her own cloak out so that she could sit on it. Her hair, left loose to dry, brushed the small of her back where her shirt rode up as she sat down Indian-style. She wanted to braid it up out of the way but would have to wait her turn for the only comb she had brought, never having expected that she might have to share her few supplies with anyone.

Loathed to sit idle while her thoughts continued to be so restless, Sango pulled her knife-belt to her, fishing out her whet stone to run across the duller blades. The first scrape of the rock on the bared steel made the others jump, and she blushed. She was doing quite a bit of that, but her mind was whirling with how to just come out and ask them what she wanted to know. They were carefully dancing around the subject, talking of the inane and inconsequential, but it hung over them like a tense cloud that needed to be emptied before it burst.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

It was Yusuke, of course, who was blunt enough to start the conversation going, once he had combed out his hair and scowled as it fell back across his eyes. Tossing the comb to Kurama, who had seated himself on one of the moss-covered ledges by the cave's opening after carefully draping his robe and kimono on other rocks to dry with the least wrinkling he could manage without the benefit of a dryer or ironing board at hand, the detective looked around for something to do, and ended up staring at Sango's bare toes.

"They're pink."

"What?" The whet stone nearly slipped from her hand as she looked up in bewilderment.

"Your toenails."

Sango frowned, still confused.

Yusuke grinned as Kurama parted his hair to comb out a single section with long, careful strokes, patiently separating the tangles. Hiei rolled his eyes and fell back on his cloak to close his eyes with an impatient sigh.

"I just couldn't picture you as being a girly-girl. I mean, they're _pink_."

"I like pink," Sango said, still baffled by his preoccupation with what color she painted her toes. Kagome had been the one to show her how one idle afternoon long ago, and she had been happy to see the fashion start in Spirit World a few years after it had taken hold in the living world, who invented the polish in little glass bottles like Kagome had brought back with her from time to time to the Sengoku Jidai.

"So you like pink. What else do you like?" Yusuke casually dropped himself beside her, drawing his knees up so he could play with the ragged strings hanging from his holey knees. There was more hole than denim left in his ruined jeans actually, but he didn't have anything else to wear, having gone commando. Next time, he'd be sure to bring along some underwear. And a change of clothes. And some gel. And some food. He'd be hungry soon, and he didn't fancy having to wait for dinner like he had had for lunch.

Sango blinked, taken aback by the detective's simple query. "What do you mean?"

"Wow, you _have_ spent a lot of time alone, haven't you?" Yusuke looked innocent as she frowned, but there was a wicked gleam in his brown eyes. He liked twitting her, her reactions were so refreshingly honest.

"What has that to do---"

"Well, I'm trying to get to know you. I thought I might start with something simple, like what you like, before I ask about your past."

Sango dropped her eyes, her hand convulsively clenching around the whet stone.

"Hmph." Hiei suddenly dropped beside them to lean against the cave's wall by the sitting detective. His red eyes were narrowed on the slayer, though his folded arms and indolent posture spoke complete indifference. The fact that he had even bothered to descend from his chosen rock was enough of an indication of his interest in her answer.

"Yusuke---" Kurama cautioned, pausing in his meticulous combing to cast a significant look in the half-demon's direction, but his friend ignored him.

Sango looked up at them, her dark eyes suddenly intent as she stared at each of them in turn, as if making up her mind. Man, she was a suspicious one. Yusuke kept his posture relaxed and easy, though he cocked a black brow as her gaze weighed him as it had the others. She seemed to come to some kind of a decision, for she nodded slightly, as if to herself, and then laid aside her knife and stone to knit her fingers together in her lap. He noticed that her knuckles were white, but forbore to comment, instead keeping his expression rather mild, for she looked as tightly wound as a Slinky.

"It's a long story," she said quietly, her expression rather serious, her voice a bit remote, as if she were trying to get her thoughts in order.

Yusuke shrugged that off as negligible. "We've got plenty of time."

She didn't reply, only biting her lip before looking somewhere off in the distance, unable to meet any of their eyes lest she falter in her tale. None of them stirred, as if sensing the tension within her and not wishing to push it.

"I---" She stopped, then abruptly looked at Hiei, who regarded her rather coolly. "I don't know how to---to stop what happened earlier. I'm not sure---what to do. To control my---my jyaki. My---demon energy."

It was clearly difficult for her to say that, and just as clearly difficult for her to admit her need for help.

Hiei just raised a brow, waiting for her to just come out and say it. Kurama took pity on her, though, and drew their attention by standing up. Pushing his long hair back over his shoulders, he walked across the small distance with the grace of a cat, his slightly tilted green eyes accentuating the likeness. "We are willing to help you, Anei."

"I---thank you." She was stiff, and made an abortive gesture, as if she might bow, but stopped the motion as Hiei grunted.

"You'll have to feel your aura first, hanyou."

She didn't like that poignant reminder of her nature, but did not flinch, only meeting his solid red stare with her own. She was the first to look away, but it was because Kurama cleared his throat.

"I sense that your heart came from a wind apparition. Do you know who it was? That might help us to consider how to go about teaching you to accept and even use your energy." He kept his voice low and gentle, as if she were fine china and needed delicate handling. Perhaps she did.

"Yes, I knew her." She was staring off into the distance again and Yusuke rolled his eyes. He was impatient with how long it was taking for her to just spill the beans and get to the point, and so quickly got the conversation back on track.

"So why don't you just tell us how you knew her, and how about adding in that ugly little roach-monkey you're looking for, hmm?"

She didn't smile at the reference to Naraku, only tensed up even stiffer than before, if that were possible. Kurama sighed to himself, mentally chiding Yusuke even as he purposely distracted her by taking a seat across from her. He kept his posture easy as he prompted, "Why don't you start at the beginning."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

_'The beginning.'_

To begin at the beginning would be to speak of ones dead to her for so long she could barely remember most of their faces. That hurt, but she carefully separated herself from the pain, sending it away as Kagura would have, and spoke briefly. "I was born in the Warring States Era. I'm not sure of the year---they were not counted then as the Westerners taught us. I know Kagome came through the well in the late 1500's, and I was a few years older than her, and she was fifteen then, so I was either sixteen or seventeen."

"Kagome?" Kurama prompted. His green eyes were intent, as if he would take in everything she said and remember it. His curiosity was rather obvious, and she could almost picture the kitsune ears pricked forward to catch her every word, if he had had them in his human form.

"She---well, it's rather complicated. You see, I was born to a village of demon slayers. My father---" Her voice caught on his memory, though she hated that they heard that. "---was the headman, and I had a younger brother, Kohaku." Her voice caught there, too, but she dropped that rock into the deep pool of old pain and let it go.

"We were both trained to slay demons, to defend our kind against the monsters who fed on them." There was a growl from the fire youkai's direction and she quickly hurried past that. "Both of us went on the mission where Kohaku---where Kohaku---"

She hadn't spoken of it in so long, had never needed to but for the once with Shigure, actually, for her friends had known all of it from the beginning, for they had been there. They had pieced together what she had not spoken of, filled in by Kagome, who she had told amid the terrible tears that had followed when she realized her bother had been resurrected from the dead to serve as Naraku's slave.

She wasn't the young girl she had been. She had seen much, done much, since that terrible time, some of it more horrific than what had actually happened back then, though it still left her heart raw as she opened the painful memory of it. But she was able to wrap herself in the icy calm she had come to depend upon over the last centuries to withdraw form the terrible emotion of it. So she raised her head and met Kurama's eyes, for he was able to keep his expression still as she spoke of the battle in terse sentences.

"A daimyo summoned us to slay a spider demon who kept attacking his castle. We did not know the lord himself was possessed by another demon, under the control of an evil hanyou named Naraku. We killed the spider demon easily---too easily. But in the battle, my brother Kohaku was also possessed, and was made to turn his weapon against us. He killed our father and the men with us."

She was interrupted by their indrawn breaths and shocked expressions, but ignored it, continuing with dogged persistence to get the hard task over with. "I saw the spider's thread that was controlling my brother, and realized it came from the daimyo---that he was dead, possessed by a demon to the seeming of life. I tried to kill him, but Kohaku attacked me. That action broke the demon's control over my brother, but it was too late. We were both attacked by the daimyo's men, to protect their lord, and---Kohaku died."

"But you didn't?" Kurama interrupted.

She stared off into the distance, her mind wrapped in memories. "They thought I had---we were buried together, by the daimyo's son, Kagewake. He killed the demon possessing his father. I thought he was---ah---well, I learned later that he was possessed himself, by Naraku, who had plotted all of it from the beginning.

"You see, Naraku was after the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls, which Kagome had brought to the past with her and then shattered into hundreds of shards with her sacred arrow. We had five of those shards in our village, shards we had collected from demons we had slain."

"Wait---what?" Yusuke shook his head, his confusion shared by the others by how her story was twisting in upon itself.

"The Jewel of Four Souls." Kurama's fingers tightened around his knees, recognizing the name and its significance. He had hunted---or rather, Youko had hunted---those shards once.

"I thought the Jewel was only a legend," Hiei growled, expression dark.

"So are the taiji-ya, my friend," Kurama said softly.

"Wait---you've mentioned this Kagome chick twice but haven't exactly explained who she is." Yusuke grasped on the name, drowning in the complications of her disjointed story.

"Kagome---she was a friend." Her rough voice betrayed the fact that Kagome had been much more than just a friend to her, more like the sister she had never had. Sango closed her eyes, taking a moment to calm her raw emotions and push them away. She hadn't realized how hard this would be, just to speak of the ones she would never see again, thanks to the dark promise Shigure had wrested from her.

Steadying her voice, Sango finally opened her eyes and explained. "Kagome was not from the Sengoku Jidai. She was actually born in the modern era, but was able to travel to the past, to my time, through a well on her family's shrine. She was the reincarnation of a priestess, Kikyou, who was cremated with the Shikon no Tama, sending it out of the living world to the Spirit World until she was reborn as Kagome. The Jewel was inside her body, and she never knew it. She came to the past, and a demon pulled it out of her. She shattered the Jewel with a sacred arrow---she has the spiritual powers of a miko, but was never trained."

Sango paused, not sure how much to explain. Yusuke was looking a little glassy-eyed, Hiei rather impatient. So she hurried over Inuyasha and Miroku, saying only, "Kagome met a half-demon, Inuyasha, and a monk, Miroku. Houshi-sama. He---his bloodline had been cursed by Naraku with a Wind Tunnel in his right hand that would eventually---did, eventually---kill him." Her voice broke there, too.

"Inuyasha---he had loved Kikyou. Naraku plotted for them to betray each other, and Kikyou was killed and Inuyasha sent to sleep for fifty years, until Kagome came to the past and freed him."

"This Naraku guy sure gets around." Yusuke rubbed his temples. He had a pounding headache trying to follow all of this.

"Why?" Kurama asked. "Why did he do all this?"

"For the Jewel. He wanted its power for his own. It can be turned to evil, if influenced by the darkest emotions. Naraku's plots were only for two things---to obtain the Jewel, and to darken its power to utter evil."

"Naraku was the one behind the whole plot to lure the best warriors away from my village and to have one of us turn on the others. While we were at the daimyo's castle, he sent demons to the village---and my people were slaughtered, one and all, for the Jewel shards we possessed."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"The whole village?" Yusuke's mouth fell open.

Kurama's heart twisted, but she remained as closed and expressionless as Hiei, whose tension was only displayed by how still he had become as the slayer's story unfolded. Kurama felt immeasurable pity for the girl who had survived so much death and pain. He asked her quietly, "Is that why you seek this Naraku? But you also seek your brother---but if he died at the castle---"

"He's not dead. Naraku resurrected him, with a shard of the Jewel. Kohaku lives---as his slave, controlled by the shard and not knowing who he is, but he lives. I know it. Naraku took him with him when he fled to Makai---"

_"Damn_." Yusuke summed their feelings up rather succinctly.

"These others---your friends? How did you meet them?"

"Naraku---disguised as Lord Kagewake, which I did not know was him---told me it was Inuyasha who had slaughtered my people. I went to kill him---and only learned the truth later." There was a lot of bitterness in her voice, and Kurama wondered at the vileness that had been a demon who could twist things in so many directions of betrayal.

"We spent three years tracking down shards of the Jewel and trying to kill Naraku. In the last battle---my friends died. Naraku disappeared into Makai, badly wounded, but managing to escape and take my brother with him. I---was wounded myself, and knew I could not survive. I found Kagura's heart, and---became as I am now."

Kurama knew that she was not telling the whole truth, but her eyes were so dark with suppressed pain that he forbore to press her, instead asking, "Kagura? She was a wind demon?"

"She was Naraku's creation. She was one of his incarnations."

"Incarnation?" Kurama's voice sharpened on the word, one he had not heard in a long time.

"Naraku had the ability to devour demons and take their bodies and powers for his own use. He was never a true demon---rather, he was once a man, who sold his soul to demon-kind to become a demon himself."

"Ugh." Yusuke grimaced. "Sounds too much like that brute Toguro."

"Not quite, Yusuke," Kurama said distractedly, glancing back at Hiei, who still leaned against the cave wall with a rather cold expression on his face. His red eyes remained on the girl, though, and there was a measuring calculation in the intensity of his gaze.

"Naraku was able to separate parts of himself---some of these he used to create his incarnations, with the help of the Jewel. He made several. Kagura was one of them. She was a full youkai, though Naraku was not, and used a fan to control the winds. She---she wasn't like the rest of his incarnations. Most were loyal to Naraku---she was not. She was only held to his bidding by the fact that he had somehow separated her heart from her body when he first created her, and kept it as insurance to keep her obedient."

"That guy's a twisted fucker, isn't he?" Yusuke shuddered, his wide shoulders moving as if he would shrug off the taint.

That observation actually caused Anei's lips to twitch in a faint smile.

"Hn." It was Kurama's turn to smile faintly as the fire demon added his two cents with a flash of his red eyes.

_'I'm of the same opinion, my friend,' _he spoke to the apparition alone, and was rewarded with a sour glare.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I realized that I have botched a few of the details---like Hiei having his cloak with him in demon world. Oops. But I like it too much for him not to have it. =) Anywho, thank you very much for the continued support. Every review gives me the warm and fuzzies, and thank you for taking the time out to type them. (Fate) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

WORD DEFINITIONS

_**Chapter Twelve**_

"You can sense the jyaki of others---can you sense your own?"

Closing her eyes, Sango tried expanding her senses. She could feel the fox demon standing just in front of her, caught the spark that was Hiei where he leaned against the tall tree that stood alone in the open meadow where Kurama had led them this morning to begin her training. Yusuke crouched by the fire demon under the tree's shade, watching with interest as she concentrated. She could feel the odd mixture of spiritual and demonic energy that wrapped itself around him and was surprised anew by the raw power of it.

'_He's strong. Almost as strong as Kagome.'_

He might even be stronger, with the demonic energy that swirled through and blended easily with his spiritual chi.

Gathering her scattered thoughts, Sango turned her attention inward, searching for the demonic aura that should be swirling around her as it did Yusuke. She could feel something, but it was not quite the same. Ruthlessly centering her focus, she arrowed in on it, and felt the faint beat of her heart speed up. The demonic aura she sensed was concentrated right in the middle of her chest---it was Kagura's heart. This was what she had always felt. Now was no different.

"I feel the energy centering around Kagura's heart."

"Your heart," Kurama said.

Sango's eyes snapped open, and her focus slithered away. She frowned.

The kitsune waited patiently, his arms folded across his chest as he stood easily. A breeze tugged lightly at the ends of his red hair, playfully tousling his bangs.

Sango cleared her throat, and began again. "My heart. The energy centers around _my_ heart---I've always been able to sense it."

"Only around your heart? Can you sense it flowing around you?" The green eyes grew thoughtful as she shook her head, slightly frustrated that he expected anything different.

Kurama bowed his head slightly, deep in thought. He nodded slightly, as if to himself, and said, "You can sense the center of your jyaki---perhaps if you follow the pathways of your blood, you might be able to find your chi."

"I know the pathways of my chi," Sango advised, though she obediently closed her eyes and concentrated, sinking her awareness into her own body. She could feel her nerves tingling and the tension building along her shoulders. Deliberately deepening her breath, she relaxed into the easy meditation stance the sage had taught her long ago. She followed the paths of her bloodstream, lightly grazing her awareness across the energy she knew well before turning her attention back to the center of all human energy---the heart. Deepening her concentration, she focused on the aura that pulsed itself like a darker shadow against the lighter feel of her human chi.

"Concentrate on your heartbeat. Feel it pumping the blood through your veins, pulling your jyaki through your body just as it does your chi." Kurama's voice was quiet, his cadence matching the throb of her heartbeat as she melded with it until it was all she could hear. The outside world slipped away until the steady drum of her heart filled her consciousness. She could feel the chi pulling through her body, but could not find the darker demon energy that she should be feeling as well. She battled frustration, strengthening her will into a sharp focus to dig it out, determined to reach it. She concentrated until a thin line appeared between her knitted brows and her head started to hurt. Her shoulders were tensing up and a knot was forming on the back of her neck as she tried to force herself to feel the demonic energy inside her.

She was so deep in concentration that she nearly jumped when Kurama lightly shook her shoulder. "Anei---stop. You're trying too hard."

She gave him an exasperated look. "Isn't that the point?"

He smiled. "Yes---and no. You need to feel it, not force it."

Her impatience was a sharp exhale that blew her bangs restlessly across her forehead as she let the inner frustration spill out in order to let it go. She forced herself to relax into the easy resting stance she had been taught as a warrior, weight balanced lightly on her toes and ready to move at a moment's notice, but Kurama shook his head.

"Anei, you need to relax. I mean, really relax." His green eyes were earnest as she looked at him, baffled.

Kurama pursed his lips. "Heh. Well then---come, let us sit."

He suited action to words, and Sango followed after hesitating a brief moment. There was an amused grunt from the tree's direction and she scowled at the fire demon before dropping into the knees-out, ankles-crossed, Indian-style position Kurama had taken across from her. The edges of his long red hair just brushed the yellow belt of his mint green robe, which he had donned once more this morning, and he gave her a smile of encouragement as he directed, "Now, relax into the position---"

Sango nodded, suddenly remembering how the old sage she had met had resorted to much the same tactic when first teaching her, for he had explained that she was too well-trained as a warrior to rest in a "ready" stance on her feet, and that was not something that could be easily undone. One _could_ retrain themselves, but she had never seen the need, and neither had the sage. Sometimes it was better to take the expedient path.

Letting the line of her shoulders drop, she closed her eyes and took a few minutes to release the tension from her body, all but slumping into the easy pose the kitsune had asked of her. She breathed deeply, taking the measure of each breath before finally opening her eyes to see Kurama regarding her with some satisfaction.

"Okay, then. Now I want you to listen---just listen---to your heartbeat. You know how to find it---now, just feel it."

He directed her, in the haunting déjà vu of the sage's teachings long ago, to find her center. Her mind floated, just feeling her body's blood moving, her heart the center that flowed life through her limbs. She could automatically pick out the paths of her human chi, as the old sage had taught her, but she knew that wasn't what Kurama was wanting her to find. So she waited, just letting the beat of her heart fill her consciousness until she could sense that darker energy that lay around it, beneath the lighter chi, that was the jyaki she knew was there, hovering around Kagura's---_her_---heart.

Time became insignificant and Sango truly relaxed into the feeling of simply _being. _The darkness seemed to expand, a purple-tinged mist that swirled through the lighter blue of her chi. She felt a stir across her mind, a tingle along her limbs, and she gasped. Her eyes popped open and she said excitedly, "I _feel_ it---the jyaki---"

And just as suddenly as it was there, it was gone, and Kurama frowned as she blinked at the sudden withdrawal of that energy. It was gone as if it had never been, and it was her turn to frown.

"It's gone. What happened?"

Kurama sighed. "You've been rejecting your aura for so long that your conscious mind is reflexively pushing it away. It's going to take some time to change that behavior and overcome the reflex of centuries."

Sango was disgruntled. She heard Yusuke let out a long sigh and ask the fire demon, "We're going to be here awhile, aren't we?"

She ignored the answer as Kurama gave her an encouraging smile. "Come, let's try it again. Remember, you did feel your energy. Let's see if you can hang on to it longer."

Nodding, Sango closed her eyes and pushed the others away to try once more. And try she did, over and over, but she never even got so far as she had the first time, and her unspoken frustration built and built until she could no longer ignore it, and Kurama finally told her to stop, for she could no longer relax into the emptiness of mind needed for the simplest way he could discern on how she could recognize her jyaki.

"Sango---enough."

She nodded, frustrated that she was frustrated and not too happy about it. She refused to meet the kitsune's eyes and he sighed.

"Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way."

Sango looked up, interested.

Kurama looked thoughtful. "Just how is it that you use your energy now? What can you do now, that you couldn't then---when you were human?"

"Hn."

They both ignored the derisive snort from the peanut gallery as Yusuke chuckled.

Sango shifted her position, drawing her knees up so she could wrap her arms around them. She thought, hard, on what he asked and finally said, "Well, I can sense demonic energy now---in others---much more strongly than I could before. I had enough spiritual sense to occasionally feel a demon's aura---if it was strong and close by. I can now feel the energy further away, and I found a sage who taught me how to use it to measure an opponent's strength and pinpoint their location. He's the one who also taught me how to find my chi."

"Hmph. A human," Hiei scoffed as he strolled from under the tree's wide branches.

"Heh. You have a point, my friend." Kurama cast a smile back over his shoulder as the other two came to join them in a rough circle on the grass. Yusuke sprawled while Hiei sank into a knees-out position, sheathed sword across his lap and still managing to somehow convey an air of aloof boredom even as he turned his intent gaze on Sango.

"I don't get it." Yusuke rather handily asked her own question. "Who cares if the guy was human?"

"A human, no matter how learned, cannot teach a demon how to use his power---only a demon can do that. The energy of human world and demon world are just too different," Kurama patiently explained.

Yusuke looked as if he wanted to argue, even mouthing a name Sango did not recognize, someone called "Genkai," but the kitsune ignored him and hurriedly changed the subject.

"Anei, what else can you do?"

"Hn."

Pointedly ignoring the fire demon's skepticism, Sango shrugged. "Injuries heal faster---"

"Naturally."

"My strength and stamina are better."

"Hmph."

"I'm certainly faster."

"Ha."

She rounded on the spiky-headed jerk with a fierce glare, her deep brown eyes reddening slightly with anger. "Do you _mind?"_

"Woah!" Yusuke jerked back from the sudden swirl of angry jyaki that flared around her. Kurama's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden return of it.

Hiei smirked, job done and point made.

Taken aback by their reactions, Sango blinked in confusion and the jyaki disappeared as suddenly as it had come.

"Well, damn." Yusuke scrubbed the back of his head in surprise.

"What?" Sango gave him a sharp look.

Kurama just shook his head in wry amusement as Hiei looked impatient with her obliviousness.

Sango was annoyed, but Kurama quickly distracted her by asking if there was anything else she could do. She nodded reluctantly, not sure how to explain it. She didn't like the scornful look in Hiei's eyes or the amusement in Yusuke's, as if they knew something she didn't. She ignored them to answer Kurama as honestly as she could. "I can use the wind a bit. I can lighten my body weight---though it's more like I use the air around me to hold myself up, I guess. Like when we fought the banshees the other night---the tree I was in couldn't hold my weight, so I used the air to lighten the burden of my body so the branch wouldn't break."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

_'Child's play,' _Hiei sent scornfully to Kurama, who shrugged.

_'Yes---but at least she can use her jyaki to some extent.'_

Hiei let his sour silence speak for him.

Kurama cleared his throat, turning his green eyes back to the slayer. "Are there any other ways that you use the wind?"

She shrugged her shoulders, which were tense. Her fingers were laced together around her knees and she replied, "I can sometimes feed my energy into the wind and summon it. I can only do it once---like when I put out the fire that night---and it makes me tired, afterwards."

Kurama raised a single brow in surprise and Hiei's gaze sharpened with interest.

"Your energy?" Yusuke sat forward, also interested.

Sango shrugged. "My chi."

"But you are able to somehow use it to summon the wind---which is a part of your demon heritage," Kurama said, encouraged by that fact. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together so that he could set his chin on them while he turned this new information over in his mind. His green eyes grew distant as he contemplated how it might help. Wondering aloud, he asked, "If you can feed your chi into your demonic aura, I wonder if the reverse holds true, and you can feed your aura into your chi?"

"Why shouldn't it?" Yusuke didn't see why it wouldn't work both ways. He had never really needed to think about how he called up his own energy, it just came when he needed it. True, his teacher Genkai had had to show him how to focus it, especially when using stronger attacks like the Spirit Wave, but it had always just been there, a part of him.

"I would like to see for myself. Anei?" Kurama asked, eyes refocusing on the taiji-ya, who shrugged, game to try anything at this point.

"Okay." She got to her feet and walked a bit away from them. Yusuke made a motion to get up as well, but Kurama just shook his head, so stayed where he was. They all watched, Hiei closing his eyes and concentrating with the Jagan to see how she manipulated the patterns of energy around her. The demon's third eye glowed faintly and Kurama wondered what he saw, but didn't break the apparition's concentration by asking.

He could see for himself as her human energy flared slightly, a paler echo of the blue-white energy Yusuke could call. The darker purple tints of her demonic aura were all but swallowed by the lighter energy of her human chi, and then both flared slightly, joining for one moment in a mixture of swirling color before flinging outward as a sudden wind tore through the meadow, sweeping across the open field to send his long hair dancing over his shoulders. The giant oak tree behind them creaked and groaned, branches swaying in the sudden gale, the thick grass rippling around the meadow in a pantomime of sea waves as fallen leaves madly danced away on a wind that died as abruptly as it came.

Kurama could tell the slayer was tired, for her shoulders sagged slightly before she straightened, looking back at them.

"Hn." Hiei's eyes opened and the faint glow dissolved from around the lavender iris of the third that rested above them. "She has no control---she's just forcing it out, like a child would."

"Did the Jagan show you anything other than her chi twisting around her jyaki and then suddenly flaring out?" Kurama asked.

"No." Hiei's red gaze flickered to his friend's before shifting back to the slayer, who was walking towards them.

"They were one, though, just before she called that blast of wind---which was stronger than I expected." Kurama raked his fingers through the tangled ends of his hair, distractedly patting it back into place.

Yusuke rolled his eyes at the kitsune's fastidious fussing. "So, let me get this straight. You didn't learn a damn thing by having her do that?"

Hiei's teeth flashed in a rare smile as Kurama grimaced, chagrined. "Nothing we didn't know already."

"Well, then, why don't we just try and trigger her jyaki again---like Hiei did when he pissed her off?" Yusuke demanded, impatient. "It sure flared up then."

"Getting her angry is not the point, Yusuke," Kurama sighed. "We're trying to control her demon anger, not unleash it. Remember what happened just yesterday."

The Mazoku made a face, remembering all too well, but persisted. "Well, then, what else summons demon energy besides the desire to attack? Defense?"

Kurama straightened, turning a look of surprise on his friend, who only grinned as Hiei dryly opined, "You're not always as stupid as you appear, Detective."

"Damn straight---I think." Yusuke smirked, then looked up as Sango stopped in front of them, her brown eyes questioning. He just shook his shaggy black head and bounced to his feet. "So, taiji-ya, looks like we're going to try this shit another way. Kurama wants to see if your jyaki reacts to being attacked, and I don't mind volunteering."

She shot the kitsune a startled look, and then eyed the eager ex-detective as she said cautiously, "If you think that will work…"

"Can't hurt." Yusuke brushed caution aside, eager to be doing something besides sitting around watching her not accomplishing much. He brought his fists up and leaned back slightly on the balls of his feet as the slayer drew back, reflexively dropping into a defensive stance as she eyed him warily.

"Yah!" Yusuke leapt towards her, trying a neat roundhouse as she jumped back, neatly backing out of the way and retreating two steps as his other fist came in from the left. He pressed forward, making her retreat again and again as he kept up the attack. She was quick, easily dodging his myriad punches, but he wasn't using even half of his strength or speed, loathed as he was to actually hurt her. They danced around the meadow for a good bit before Hiei growled in annoyance.

"Damn it, Detective, if you're going to do it---_do_ it."

Sango shot the short demon a dark look, but caught Kurama's slight nod. She turned back to Yusuke, who shrugged, and then pounced with more determination than before. He smiled when she had to twist into a back-flip to avoid his sudden attack of flying fists. He followed, opening up his speed as she barely dodged his next punch, and then slid right under him to avoid the next. He felt a sharp jab to his knee and hissed, nearly toppling as she jumped back, unwilling to press the advantage either, just as reluctant as he to really put too much into the fight.

Both demons continued to watch impassively as Yusuke regained his balance and stood there, a thoughtful look on his face. The taiji-ya regarded the half-demon warily, but made no move to attack, knowing they were testing her defensive reflexes, not her fighting ability. When Yusuke came back to life, she was startled, though, by the ferocity of his attack. He kept her dancing in a continual pirouette as he circled around her, his hands flying in lightning-fast moves almost too quick for her to counter. She caught one punch on her braced arm, grunting at the impact, and he grinned at getting in a hit, and then _really_ opened up. She tried every passive trick she knew to keep him away from her, and still he came on and on until she finally lashed back, turning a defensive kick into a sharp punch to the same knee she had hit earlier, only to miss it as he sprang away.

Yusuke's grin only widened. He loved sparring, and his blood was just starting to warm up as he doubled his efforts. He quit trying to hit her, for she was like an eel, always slipping out of reach, and tackled her instead. She landed on the ground with a loud "Oof!" but managed to plant a foot in his belly and send him sailing over her head as she sprang back up to her feet. Yusuke landed none too gracefully, but was soon rolling back up on his feet as well. They circled each other, she warily, he with growing elation. This was starting to be fun, and he chuckled when she suddenly went on the offensive, sending a series of sharp kicks and lightning-fast flat-handed chops his way which he blocked with some effort before turning the tables again. He grazed her stomach with his curled knuckles, her having barely avoided the strike by sucking in her gut at the last minute before punching him on the shoulder. His elbow caught her as she spun aside, and she hissed as his other fist punched her in the side. It wasn't as hard as it could have been, though. He was still holding back, for he didn't really want to hurt her, and she seemed to know it, for her hits weren't as hard as they could have been, either.

"This is getting us nowhere," Hiei growled, impatient as the two fighters obviously continued to pull their blows at the last moment.

Kurama sighed. "She knows he won't really hurt her. This isn't quite working out as I thought it would. I hadn't figured in that she would instinctively know that."

"Hn."

Kurama scrambled to his feet as the fire demon suddenly disappeared from his side. He reappeared in the air just above the two combatants, drawn sword glittering with deadly malice as he swung for the taiji-ya's unprotected back.

She froze, feeling the length of bared steel suddenly resting lightly upon her lower spine, but only stood there as Yusuke did a double-take. "Hiei?"

Kurama's green eyes widened---but not from the suddenness of the demon's attack, but from the slayer's reaction to it. What should have sent her diving out of the way---she was too well-trained not to have felt the sweep of split air behind her and known the danger it signified---had her only standing there, breathing heavily as she turned her head to look back at the demon, who scowled.

_'She knows he won't hurt her. She---trusts him.'_

Well, maybe not consciously; for even as he had the thought she was twisting away with a glare and pulling free her own sword with an angry jerk. Hiei smirked and her brown eyes narrowed. They then joined in earnest, exchanging a flurry of blows almost too fast to follow. Yusuke planted himself to one side, crossing his arms and watching with a faint smile as the two warriors cut and clashed, their blades clanging with an almost musical chime as their bodies moved in a complicated dance until Hiei finally managed to knock her blade out of her hand, sweeping his own to rest along the side of her unprotected neck.

Again, she only stood there, her swirling aura hardly changing as it should have if she felt herself to be in any real danger. She panted, clearly tired, and she was flushed and clearly furious that the demon had bested her, but only glared when he turned away with a contemptuous flick of his sword, sheathing it and turning his back.

The chance was clearly too good an opportunity for her to pass up, and Yusuke laughed outright as she launched herself at the demon, who whirled back around with a wide-eyed growl that she would dare. She managed to push him off-balance with her shoulder, and they both fell in a tangle of limbs and went rolling through the grass as Yusuke unabashedly cheered them on.

She managed to claim temporary victory by coming up on top, pinning the fire demon's shoulders to the ground and scissoring his legs with her own, but Hiei quickly snatched it back by rocking his hips and rolling them back over. She managed to get a knee bent between them, but it was awkwardly placed, Hiei being more protective of his family jewels than last time, and she didn't have enough leverage to try the same trick she had used on Yusuke earlier. Hiei took the expedient path of shifting his stronger weight onto her knee, turning it under to an awkward angle so that she couldn't use it as he pinned her arms to her sides and simply forced her down with his heavier strength.

Kurama's breath held, waiting for what the taiji-ya would do next, but she just went limp, reluctantly admitting defeat with a dark glower. Red eyes mocking, the fire apparition nodded once and then vanished, reappearing just past Yusuke, calmly walking away with his arms folded as he returned to Kurama's side.

"Didn't work," was all he said, expression unreadable.

Kurama just looked at him.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Yusuke extended a hand down to help the winded slayer up. She looked at his open palm, and then looked at him, and he winked. A strange expression crossed her face, and then she shook her head. To his surprise, she actually took hold his hand and he braced his weight as she clambered back up to her feet. Her hair was a sweaty tangle that stuck to her cheeks and forehead and she looked really sexy, actually, with her chest heaving like that and her cheeks all flushed.

She didn't look too happy, and went and reclaimed her fallen sword with a grimace. Unconsciously rubbing her side, where his own fist had caught her a good one, Yusuke trailed behind to watch her behind as she trudged back toward the others. Man, that girl had a nice ass.

She glanced at him over her shoulder, and he snapped his eyes up, an expression of baffled innocence crossing over his features. She looked suspicious, but said nothing. Yusuke caught Kurama's narrowed green gaze and grinned cheekily, delighting in how both demons wore matching glares that could fry a man's balls off if he weren't too careful.

This day was turning out not to be so boring after all.

Now, if he could only find a place that served real food---instead of this catch-your-own crap. He didn't like that shit one damn bit. And he was starving. They sure skipped lunch a lot, and the afternoon was almost gone. His stomach growled, reminding him of how empty it was, and so he brought the matter up plaintively as he and Anei joined the others.

"You guys ever heard that a growing boy needs _three_ square meals a day?" He unselfconsciously rubbed at his aching belly, and Hiei sneered.

"Humans," he growled in disgust, and abruptly disappeared.

Kurama only shook his head when Yusuke arched a brow at him, and turned casually to Anei, asking not so casually as the kitsune would like to pretend how she was feeling.

"Tired." She sighed, looking it, before straightening into that "I'm fine" lie of hers by smoothing out her features and stiffening her spine. Wow, if ever there was a case of denial not being just a river, there she stood. Yusuke's mouth twitched but he held back a laugh as Kurama again narrowed a green eye on him. He shrugged, turning the motion into an outright stretch of his arms as he lifted them up above his head and arched his back to crack his spine, rolling his shoulders back and then dropping them as he jauntily put his hands in his pants' pockets.

"Can we go back home, now?" he demanded, thinking of the cave and Kurama's reed basket, which always seemed to hold something relatively edible. The kitsune had scrounged up some not-so-heinous fruit this morning for breakfast, though it hadn't gone so well with the cold stew left over from last night. Yusuke hoped there would be something more substantial for dinner tonight. A cheeseburger would be great right about now. He wondered if there were such a thing as a cheeseburger demon, and if he could catch it and eat it.

Kurama frowned. "Yes. I think we've done what we could for now---"

"But---" Anei protested, clearly concerned that they hadn't accomplished what they had set out to do, and find a way for her to tap into her demon energy.

Kurama took her hands lightly in his---Yusuke saw her jerk slightly, as if she might withdraw them, but that strange look crossed her features again, and she deliberately relaxed---and said earnestly, "Don't worry, Anei. There are a few other ideas I would like to try, but they will have to wait for nightfall, and you will need time to recover your physical energy."

"All right," she reluctantly agreed, but had no other choice. She didn't have to like it, though, and Yusuke hid a grin at her rather pathetic attempt at hiding that fact.

"Hey, Kurama, do you have any more of those apple-pears we had for breakfast? Those weren't so bad." Yusuke deliberately caught the kitsune's attention, and Kurama reluctantly let the slayer's hands go as he answered with a distracted nod. The slayer blushed, for some reason, and so did Kurama, looking slightly surprised by that fact.

God, Yusuke loved it. It wasn't often the fox was caught so off-balance.

Sidling in between the two, he flashed a cheeky grin and stirred the pot. "Wow, it must be hot. You two sure looked flushed."

They both glared, and he held up his hands. "Hey---I'm just making a comment. Why are you guys getting so upset all o'sudden?"

"Yusuke," Kurama warned, voice dangerously low as Anei abruptly turned and stalked off through the grass.

Man, she had a sweet ass. Even sweeter was the death-glare Kurama shot him when he couldn't resist mentioning it.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you for the continued interest in this story. It's taken longer than I thought to get through certain plot twists before others can start to happen. I still have three kings and a certain wind demon to deal with, not to mention Naraku and a certain miko and inu hanyou who aren't totally out of the picture. =) (Fate) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

A brace of dead fish dropped from the sky right above the ex-detective, who jumped back with a startled yell as they fell on the ground where he had been standing. Amused, Hiei landed on top of the cave, deliberately pausing to show himself before jumping down to where the others were seated below.

"What the hell was that for?" Yusuke bristled as Kurama calmly picked up the fish to examine them.

"A fair catch. Thank you, Hiei."

The short demon made no reply, eyes flicking to the taiji-ya, who was pulling one of her many knives free to start sharpening some sticks to spear the fish over the fire. At least she had some knowledge on how to survive in the wilderness. The detective was all but useless and would have starved to death without their help.

"Hey---three-eyes! You never answered my question. Why'd you have to toss those damn fish at me for? Huh?" Yusuke was spoiling for a fight, but Hiei wasn't going to give him one just because he missed that thick-headed clown Kuwabara, who was always ready for a good scrap.

"Because I could," he replied, just because he could do that, too.

Yusuke laughed, as the fire demon knew he would, and Kurama's mouth twitched as Anei stared at them, a strange shadow in her dark eyes before she quickly covered it. She did that often when the three of them were together, and he wondered why, but dismissed it as unimportant. Trivial, really. Who knew what a half-human girl ever thought. Females didn't know half the time themselves, so how was he to ever know---or care.

Hopping a few stones up from the rest of them, Hiei flung his coat down to sit on it. Ignoring the others as they busied themselves making dinner---they could certainly cook it, since he'd seen to catching it---he curled his right fist, testing the strength of the tattered bandages that wrapped his arm past the elbow and half-way up his thick bicep. The dirty wrappings were tinged slightly pink from all the blood that had been spilled during the fight yesterday. The color had not washed out completely, and he frowned. Tucking the ragged ends in tighter around his palm, Hiei stared moodily at his spread fingers. The dragon's energy was well contained, doubly so by the warding bandages he shielded it with, but still it stirred restlessly within him, always wanting to break free. It was unsettling, sometimes, to feel it growling across the back of his mind, though he had gotten used to it for the most part.

He suddenly looked down, feeling someone's attention on him, and he met Kurama's enigmatic green gaze. It should disturb him more than it did just how much the kitsune was attuned to his moods, but Hiei accepted things for what they were, with none of the quibbling or questioning others so often fussed with. He didn't care _why_ he and Kurama had such a natural understanding. He respected the red-haired demon, who had won his loyalty, as had Yusuke. And yes, even that other red-headed oaf, Kuwabara.

Hiei grew disgusted by the awful thought and sneered. Kuwabara was a tangled conundrum to him. He had to respect the boy's sense of honor and his singular loyalty to his friends, but he didn't like how the slow-witted human held more than a little regard for his twin sister, Yukina. Kuwabara was hardly one to hold back his feelings, and had proclaimed his undying love for the ice maiden on more than one occasion. Hiei did not know how Yukina felt about the boy with the unfortunate face, but she seemed fond of him. More than fond, actually, but it was not as if he, her brother, could come right out and ask her.

His fingers curled into a fist and his red eyes narrowed. Why that fact should bother him, he didn't know. He had made his choice never to reveal himself to Yukina long before even that demon surgeon, Shigure, had wrested the promise from him in exchange for giving him the Jagan Eye. The Eye had eventually helped him to find her, and it allowed him to look in on her from time to time. He had never intended to destroy her innocence with the knowledge of their relationship, or the dark deeds that were hung on his soul. She deserved better. And as long as he knew she was okay, than that was all he ever needed.

"Careful, Anei---the fish are oily." Kurama's voice broke into his dark thoughts, and he glanced down just in time to see the girl jerk her hand back from one of the spitted fish that were speared over the open flames. She hissed softly and brought the small burn on the outer edge of her hand up to her mouth to suck on it.

"Are you burned?" Kurama pulled his small first-aid kit from his pocket, but she only shook her head.

"It's nothing. Just stings." She winced and licked the oil from the wound. She had a very pink tongue.

Hiei stirred restlessly, discomfited by the stupid thought.

"Let me see." Kurama had stood up, coming over to kneel beside the crouching slayer. Hiei watched with interest as she shook her dark head, raising her brown eyes to the fox's.

"Really, it's nothing."

"Please allow me," Kurama asked softly, surprising Hiei with the tenderness in his voice. Hiei's eyes narrowed as he awaited her reaction, but she just gave the kitsune her hand after a long moment of searching his eyes with her own.

It was rather pathetic, this fussing over a simple burn. Kurama wouldn't have been half as concerned if it was anyone else. Hiei smirked, for try as he might, the fox could not hide his growing regard for the young demon slayer.

Not so young, really. She was what---five-hundred-and-nineteen years old? Not that that was really significant, actually. If one counted Youko's years, than Kurama was somewhere at the millennium-plus mark, and he himself was at least a century or more. Yusuke was the baby, really, having only been a half-demon for what---three days?

Hiei smirked as the detective whined like a baby about how long the fish were taking to cook. Age was rather negligible in the demon realm, but maturity? Now that was a different matter.

"Dinner'll be ready in just a moment, Yusuke," Kurama automatically chided, but was clearly distracted by squeezing some type of goop on the back of the slayer's hand. The elegant fingers took a little too long to rub in the cream, turning the motion into almost a caress, and Hiei watched the proceedings with a growing sense of irritation. Just how long did it take to smear burn-ointment across the skin and slap a Band-Aid on top? Kurama was sure taking his sweet time about it.

Yusuke must have come to the same conclusion, for he stalked over and glared down at the pair of them, fists on his hips. "Is anyone else hungry around here? Hell, Kurama, think you can finish that up sometime before night falls?"

As the day was quickly waning, the hidden sun having already set, the detective had a good point. Hiei smirked as Kurama stiffened, leveling what was probably a poignant glare on the ex-detective if Hiei could see anything but the back of the fox's spiky red head from his current vantage point. It was the taiji-ya who made the decisive move, though, by snatching the Band-Aid from the fox's fingers and neatly extricating herself from between the two men with an acrobatic move that was quite impressive, as it involved quite a bit of flexibility and not having either demon notice what she was doing until it was done.

Hiei sat back to enjoy the show as she neatly stripped the paper off the tan bandage and slapped it to the outside of her hand. Yusuke and Kurama both did a good double-take when they realized she was no longer between them but over on the far side of the fire. Kurama must have given Yusuke another glare, for the detective's teeth flashed in a grin in the growing darkness before he turned to the slayer. "Anei?"

"Dinner's ready." Her voice was a little too high, and she was hastily plucking fish off the fire with a knife, busying herself to avoid the fox's troubled gaze, which Hiei now had a front-row view of.

Deciding this was growing too interesting for him not to be in the middle of, Hiei jumped down from his rock and landed right beside the taiji-ya. She shied a little at his sudden appearance, and he hid a smirk. She was edgy, that one, and he was actually starting to enjoy pushing her buttons.

Carelessly reaching amid the flames, he pulled two sticks from the embers, biting into one and ignoring the juice that ran down his chin. Plopping himself down on the stone just behind the taiji-ya, he was tossing the empty stick aside and starting on the second fish even before the other two demons were served.

"Hungry, three-eyes?" Yusuke smirked, accepting one of the thick green leaves Kurama had found to use as a rather sturdy plate.

Hiei paused long enough to scowl as the slayer turned to look at him over her shoulder with eyes that were too wide and brown. The corner of Kurama's mouth twitched in amusement, irritating the short demon further. Deliberately biting into the second fish so that his sharp fangs showed, he sucked it down whole, all in one gulp, neatly licking the empty stick before tossing it after the first.

"That was downright gross," Yusuke said, rather appalled by what he'd just witnessed. The apparition had swallowed the whole fish, eyeballs, fins, tail and all, and hadn't even bothered to chew.

Hiei just stared at him, daring him to say more. The taiji-ya quickly turned back around, and he felt vindicated in the thought that humans were always so squeamish, especially girls. She startled the hell out of him, though, when she turned back with another stick in her hand, silently extending it to him.

He stared at the offering suspiciously, then into her brown eyes, which had rusty tints in the mahogany depths from the flickering firelight as the shadows darkened further around them. There was nothing in her expression but polite inquiry as he continued to stare at her, and then a touch of confusion when his expression hardened.

"Ah, just take the damn fish, three-eyes!" Yusuke finally burst, eyes rolling, and Hiei took the stupid fish with a scowl as Kurama silently shook his head.

"Hn."

"That means 'thanks' in youkai." The detective was being entirely too talkative in the apparition's opinion, and he made his annoyance known by biting the head off the fish in his hand, making sure Yusuke saw it. The Mazoku only grinned, but wisely retreated to the other side of the fire with his leaf-wrapped dinner.

Kurama gave him a long look as the taiji-ja turned back to the dying fire and Hiei shrugged. Wise enough to let it lie, the fox only thanked the girl when she handed him his portion and went and sat beside Hiei, on the ground by his rock. Hiei didn't know why the kitsune felt the need to show his support, but perhaps he was just trying to distance himself from the girl for the obvious reason that he had just embarrassed himself rather thoroughly by fussing over the minor burn on her hand.

Yusuke didn't seem to notice the two demons' withdrawal, for he was doing a fair job in hogging center stage, recounting some of the pranks he had pulled on his best friend, Kuwabara. It didn't take an idiot to see just how much the brash Spirit Detective missed the big oaf, and the girl had the patience of a saint to listen to all that crap. Hiei watched her beneath hooded eyes, having crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back against the curve of the cave's wall once he finished his third fish-stick.

She was quiet but listened with far more tolerance than he could have as Yusuke pantomimed some stupid fight the two of them had gotten into after school one day, and even smiled slightly when the detective burst out laughing at his own stupid joke. Her elfin features seemed softer somehow in the firelight's dim glow, her chin not so stubborn and her eyes not as guarded. Her eyes were a darker shade than the detective's chocolate-brown. Like the wood of a rain-dampened pine tree rather than the bright, raw sienna the boy sported. Her lashes were thicker, too---he hadn't realized how thick, actually---and there was strands of lighter brown in her dark hair. They were burnt red by the firelight when she cocked her head slightly, and a few of the finer hairs on her long ponytail were caught in the fabric of her black turtleneck as she shook her head in amusement as Yusuke recounted one of Kuwabara's stupider exploits.

She ate almost absently, and as fastidiously as Kurama. He watched her eat, her teeth flashing slightly when she nibbled on a small morsel. Her lips were a little thin, but there was a nice curve to them, and he was discomfited again when that pink tongue appeared. His gaze quickly shifted, following her hand to the crook of her elbow and then up the curve of her bare arm. Even in the shifting shadows of the firelight, one could see the defined muscles of her upper bicep. Some might consider her too developed, too muscular, perhaps, to be womanly, but she still maintained a grace and femininity that probably came from her slight frame and short stature. She certainly didn't look all that dangerous right now, with her guard down and her expression easy as she listened to Yusuke's inane babbling.

Hiei frowned, disgusted by his singular preoccupation with the girl, and feeling eyes on him, he turned his head slightly to glare at his erstwhile companion, who was smiling faintly.

_'Have something to say, fox?' _he growled, mind to mind, but Kurama only shook his head, the amusement in his thoughts bleeding through the light mental link between them.

"It's grown dark." Kurama shielded his eyes, though he hardly needed to, and looked around the shadows which only the fire kept at bay. The moon had yet to rise, not that they would see it, for as usual it was cloudy.

"Pointing out the obvious isn't usually your style, Kurama," Hiei growled, somewhat annoyed, but not with the kitsune.

"Heh." Kurama deliberately took his time rolling up the remains of his meal for burial. The thick leaf served as fine a garbage bag as it did a dinner plate. Hiei watched the kitsune's fussing with growing irritation, for he sensed the red-haired demon had something in mind but he was certainly taking his sweet time about divulging it.

"I think it has grown dark enough for us to try again."

Hiei waited, refusing to show his impatience.

"Anei drew on the shadows around her the other night to fade into the background---remember? I had the idea that we might try to see if she could repeat the performance."

Drawing his elbows from behind his head to fold them across his chest, Hiei looked skeptical. "I hope you have a better idea than just that. I seem to remember that it was not something she did consciously, but much as she's done anything---purely on instinct."

Kurama shrugged lightly, but would not quite meet the demon's narrowed gaze.

_'That fox is up to something.' _Hiei didn't know what, but he knew when Kurama was trying to act too casual and secretive. He also knew Kurama wouldn't divulge whatever little scheme he had going on in that wily head of his until he was good and ready to do so, and he wasn't about to waste his time worrying about it. Let the fox keep his secrets for now. He'd find out soon enough.

"Hn."

Kurama gave him a sharp look, but Hiei only smirked.

Refolding his arms back behind his head, Hiei closed his eyes and gave the appearance of utter boredom by relaxing into the stony curve of the wall behind him, but he kept the Jagan open enough to see what the fox would do. At first, the scene was a hazy mist of swirling energies---the fire a blot of orangey-red, contrasting sharply with the paler spiritual energy that wrapped around the two humans who sat beside it, their demonic auras contrasting further with the faint fuchsia glow that swirled throughout and around them. Kurama was a similar mix, though his aura bore a faint luminescent silver edging to the stronger glow of his jyaki. Sharpening his focus, Hiei laid the physical over the astral, and could now see the three humans as they were to his ordinary eyes.

He watched as Kurama courteously took the girl's finished leaf with his and put them both aside for later disposal. He watched as Yusuke willingly made room for the fox, who then sat and asked the girl how she called the shadows to her. Of course, the little fool didn't know and had no damn clue, and Hiei grew annoyed with the whole ridiculous waste of effort as a repeat performance was given of this afternoon, when she had sought to feel her jyaki through meditation. It worked, slightly, when she first attempted it---he could see the way she pulled the air currents around her, using tendrils of the jyaki that existed in the very air of Makai to curl them around her, obscuring her somewhat in the shadows before she reached some mental stumbling block that had her hiss in frustration as the demonic energy slipped from her grasp and abruptly vanished.

He watched with growing impatience as she tried again and again, with no better results than she had this afternoon, and never reaching even as far as the first time she'd tried. She was like a child, blindly reaching for something just out of reach and yet right there in front of her, and he couldn't stand the way she was just trying to force it---as if you could ever force the energy to obey you. You had to accept it into you, become one with it, before you could then make it do what you wanted. And it was just so damn _easy_---though her childishly human fumbling sure made it look harder than it ever needed to be.

Growing frustrated by the stupidity of the whole situation, Hiei finally dropped his pretence at ignoring them and jumped off his rock. Landing behind the girl, his arms folded and his red eyes glaring, he snarled, "Damn it, Kurama, this is a waste of time. I would think _you_ of all people would be smart enough to figure that out by now."

The girl shied at his abrupt appearance at her shoulder, but he ignored her to glare at his red-haired companion, who sat back with a puzzled frown. Raising a finely drawn brow, the fox asked simply, "Oh? And what would you do, my friend?"

Yusuke sniggered something that had the taiji-ya blushing but Hiei ignored them both to snap, "Somehow, she's managed to block off all awareness of her demonic energy, and she's like a child blindly fumbling around in the dark after it. Trying to force her to feel it won't work. Someone needs to show her how to find it and recognize it before she can do anything with it."

"An interesting suggestion, Hiei." Kurama's expression were almost too surprised---there was something in his green eyes that made Hiei narrow his own in suspicion, trying to figure out just what it was. But Kurama only dropped his chin in his hand and asked oh-too-innocently, "But I wonder how someone might show her? She can't see her jyaki like you or I can."

"Kurama, I'm disgusted you can't see the obvious answer. Someone needs to lead her through the stubbornness of her own humanly simplistic mind---" Hiei froze at the even more obvious answer and scowled, his red eyes heating slightly as he detected the faint gleam of triumph in the kitsune's green gaze before the wily fox quickly hid it.

_'Damn it, Kurama. You knew all along this was the only way,'_ he snarled at the fox, who shrugged minutely as the slayer glared at the taunt about human simpletons and Yusuke looked downright confused. _'Why didn't you just ask? Why play games, damn you?'_

_'You needed to reach your own conclusions, my friend, as to the necessity of your interference. You would not have been so agreeable if I had just come out and asked,' _Kurama replied, his mental voice a little rueful and even faintly apologetic.

_'You don't know that, fox,' _Hiei growled back, angry at the way the fox had calculated his reactions and manipulated him so neatly, for the kitsune had a point, damn him. He didn't like the idea of having to delve back inside the girl's head just to show her how to do what she should already know, if she had just accepted herself from the beginning. It was almost ironic that he, a demon who frankly loathed humans and found little to redeem in them, was teaching a human who loathed demons how to reconcile both sides of herself.

The irony was not lost on Kurama, either, for there was a faint hint of amusement to his encouraging expression, damn him. The wily fox knew he had Hiei cornered, especially by having the apparition come to his own conclusion that this might be the only way to keep the girl from infecting the whole damn World with her rejected aura.

He still didn't have to like it.

"Well, then, Kurama, since you are so certain that this is the only way, than you can damn well explain it to her." And get her to accept it---for Hiei wasn't about to put himself out trying to argue the girl into letting him inside her head again. He wasn't exactly relishing the idea. Humans felt too damn much---their thoughts were often loud and chaotic, their emotions too near the surface of their thoughts. He tolerated Kurama's mental presence as much as he did because the kitsune was just so damn _quiet_ about it. The fox's control over his stronger emotions was almost eerie, and the quiet peace of his orderly mind was almost restful when compared to the baser chaos of most others' thoughts.

There was also the consideration that telepathy could sometimes be a two-way street. His personal thoughts and emotions could bleed through the link just as easily as the other person's he sought to touch minds with. And while he might trust Kurama enough to respect his privacy, he didn't know if he could extend that same trust to anyone else. He had occasionally used his telepathic abilities to send messages to the others in their team---even once with Botan (though he still shuddered at the memory of her too-emotional reaction---scratch that, _over_-reaction---of his death threats to Yusuke's girlfriend, Keiko, but that had been a different time and he a different demon altogether.) He had also had the occasion to speak with Yusuke's teacher, Genkai, who had had the spiritual power to use the fragile mental link to overwhelm him if she had not had the repugnantly honorable notion of never taking such low advantage of someone in that way. For someone could, if they knew enough and had the power to do so, and that threat was enough to make Hiei even more choosy of who he let inside his mind, lest he expose himself to that very possibility.

But he had little to fear from a half-human girl who couldn't even acknowledge her own demon energy enough to properly control it. He had more to fear from her damnably human thoughts and crawling back inside that chaotic mess was _not_ something he was looking forward to.

So Kurama could damn well use his persuasive powers and manipulative guile to get the taiji-ya to agree, and good luck to him, for the girl had stiffened at their sudden silent communication, as if she knew they were speaking about her, and Hiei could only look smug as the fox turned a rueful expression towards her, a speculative glitter in his forest-green eyes.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

_"Someone needs to lead her through the stubbornness of her own humanly simplistic mind---"_

The acidic scorn in the fire demon's words sat sour in her stomach, and Sango glared at the demon who ignored her to glare at the fox. The pair were eyeing each other with that strangely silent communion they always seemed to indulge in, and it set her teeth on edge, because she knew they were talking about her somehow. Given the fire demon's Jagan Eye and her hazy knowledge of its alleged abilities---not to mention the fact that the spiky-pinecone-headed jerk had all but forced himself inside her head only two nights before to pluck out the images of both Naraku and her brother---she had more than a notion of just how they managed to communicate and more than a suspicion of where all this was leading.

Hiei had a point---no matter what Kurama had her do, she was just not sensing her energy or how she was able to unconsciously use it. She had spent too long denying its existence, to the point where her subconscious mind was subverting her conscious determination to find out how. It was probably a self-defensive reaction built up over centuries of denial, but it was a mental wall she could hardly overcome---at least, not in the limited space of a single day---without some sort of outside help. If she had had the time to break down those mental barriers on her own, than of course she would have preferred to do so, but she _didn't_ have the time. She was, frankly, spending too much time as it was in dealing with this problem rather than focusing on finding her brother.

But she could hardly face Naraku---and the gods-only-knew what powers and abilities he had gained since last she faced him---without dealing with this new problem first. It would be terribly ironic if she were to face that evil bastard and have her own rejected demonic aura feed the dark hanyou's own rage, thus allowing him to use her own jyaki against her.

That was not a weapon she was willing to give the dark hanyou. And she owed the poor demons she had led to their slaughter yesterday---not to mention, the countless other possible victims over the centuries she had spent taking her anger and frustration out on any youkai who strayed across her path, seeing the hated face of her enemy in each and every one. Their shades deserved better from her than not to try, at least, by any means necessary, to control her demonic powers.

And if it took having to let that demon back inside her head, than so be it. Pride be damned---and yes, fear, too---for she did fear what he was capable of seeing inside her mind with that unnatural, unblinking Eye of his---but there was more at stake than just her own grudging feelings about the whole necessity of it.

But Sango had never backed down from doing what she felt she must, and she wasn't about to start now. So when Kurama finally turned to her to try and break the idea of having Hiei show her mind-to-mind how to feel out her energy, she was already prepared for it. She listened to his persuasive little speech---slightly chagrined that he was trying to be so gentle about it---and just nodded, albeit stiffly, and said, "Okay."

Even Yusuke, following Kurama's wordy explanation with a frown of fierce concentration, was taken aback by her quick acquiescence. The astonished looks on both the fox and the apparition's faces were priceless. If she had been less afraid of losing her tight control over her tumultuous emotions concerning the whole idea, she would have laughed. As it was, she kept her expression carefully neutral, especially when the fire demon's red eyes narrowed on her suspiciously, trying to find some type of reaction other than the bland acceptance of what must be done.

"Well, then, ah…I guess it's decided." Kurama tried to regain his customary aplomb by turning to the fire demon, who had moved up to stand beside her. "Hiei?"

"Hn," was the fire demon's not-so-helpful comment. Yusuke cocked his head to one side, an amused glint in his inquisitive brown eyes, though he forbore to add anything as Kurama waited for Sango.

Sango, already seated on her knees, looked up at the short demon and met his red stare. He studied her carefully blank expression for a long moment before frowning fiercely as his eyes closed. She watched as his thick bangs---the startlingly white hairs tangled amidst the blue-black feathers of a raven's wing---parted, revealing the lavender eye that rested just above the surprisingly delicate sweep of his thin brows. She half-expected to feel some type of drawing in of the air around her as the apparition focused his energy, but he only turned to face her. Prodded by instinct, she turned her body so that she squared his, resettling her weight on her knees in a deceptively easy pose that was nothing of the sort. She knelt as if braced for an attack, her shoulders a stiff line and her hands, lying lightly in her lap, curled into fists, her knuckles whitening with the strain.

She felt a hand lightly settle on her shoulder and she glanced up in distracted surprise as Kurama nodded reassuringly. She felt oddly comforted by the simple gesture, and taking a deep breath, relaxed minutely beneath the warm weight of his palm. Closing her eyes, she waited for the remembered intrusion as Hiei's mind reached out for hers.

Expecting him to force himself inside her head as he had before, like an arrow piercing right through her skull, she was surprised to feel a light brush across her thoughts---as if his fingers were somehow softly caressing over her forehead. She felt the tickle of her heavy bangs being swept aside, and knew that he was. Startled by the touch, she was distracted just enough to not even realize when he was suddenly there, with her, inside her mind.

Although uneasy with the unbelievable strength of his mental presence, she was able to collar her emotions, keeping a tight lid on them so that he would not read the instinctive surge of fear that held her for a moment, like a small bird caught in the cup of his hand. Her mind whirled, twisting in upon itself, and sweat broke out across her brow as her shoulders tensed and her back went poker-straight. But she wrestled the fierce urge to reject his presence inside her head with an iron will that caused a flicker of surprise and grudging respect to seep from beneath his tightly guarded thoughts and into hers.

The feeling was gone almost as soon as it appeared, but she was heartened by it. Taking a deep breath, she cautiously opened herself up, seeing him as separate from herself and not as overwhelmed by the strength of his mental presence.

He appeared as a dark flame to her mind's eye, a spark of unbelievable power that was yet rigidly contained. There was a surprisingly icy breath to his thoughts, fierce enough that it could burn. There was a restlessness there, like the constant stir of flickering flames, and a hunger---one that surprised her with the aching yearning that shimmered across it but was gone before she could truly register it, and left her wondering if she had even felt it at all.

_'Hanyou.'_

His mental voice was a hard echo of his own, sharp and clipped, with an unconscious edge of command. Slightly bemused, Sango quickly refocused her thoughts, seeing herself as a soft, white, glowing ball---like what she thought a soul might look like---and wondered if he saw her that way as well.

_'No.'_

The thought was short and sharp and he didn't bother to elaborate. Instead, he seemed to twine his presence around hers, nudging her slightly to focus her attention inward. His presence were hardly intrusive---in fact, it was as if he was holding himself back from going further than just the upper surface of her thoughts. She was grateful for that, and was able to relax further as he silently turned her attention to her own body.

_'See what I see.' _It was an order she could not but obey, as he was wrapped tightly around her thoughts, directing her attention to the center of her body, where the heart within her pumped life and energy throughout both her physical and metaphysical bodies. It was strange to see the mix of energies she was more used to seeing in others flowing through and around herself, but surprisingly easy to pick out the different patterns with his presence to help guide her.

The lighter feel of her human chi was familiar, but the darker shadow of purple-blended-fuchsia coiling around it like a braided rope was unexpected. This, then, was her demonic energy, her jyaki, and she was startled by how it was twined with her own human energy. She had always thought of it as something separate, something apart and something strange, but it was mixed with her own energy, snaking around and through and blending into one even as she watched.

She couldn't contain her surprise, and felt his sour amusement. Growing indignant by his callousness, she was not given time to even grumble before he snatched her awareness up and tossed her headlong into the middle of that river of flowing energy. She felt as if she was suddenly drowning in power, and she sputtered, her mind trying to grasp on to anything in a world suddenly awash with reeling energies of overwhelming intensity. He was suddenly there, a firm anchor for her clasp on to, and she huddled against the dark flame of his reassuring strength, unnerved by an experience that she had nothing she could compare with.

He was surprisingly patient while she slowly unfolded herself, tentatively touching the flood of power that surged all around them. A tingle went through her body and she sighed at the unexpected cool breeze that seemed to touch across her skin. She was dimly aware of her long hair stirring, as if a light wind were blowing gently around it, and was filled with a dawning sense of awe as she felt that it _was_ and that it was by _her _doing, and not another's.

_'You see the energy; now we trace it back to the source.' _The dark flame beside her spoke words she was too bemused to comprehend but she felt when he took hold of her again in that unshakable grip, drawing her with him into a deeper awareness as they seemed to jump into the turbulent flow of energy that had seemed so like a flood before and was now but a fast-moving stream. They didn't exactly swim in the current of power---more as if they floated above it, trailing their awareness lightly across the twining paths that centered around the unmistakable beating presence of her youkai heart. Flowing inside and then back out, the energy was pumped through the center of her body as her blood was pumped through her veins, renewing the life and self within her, and suddenly she _knew_.

_'But---it's so _simple_---it can't be that simple---'_

"Hn."

She blinked, suddenly thrust back inside her own body, and was startled by the acute feel of his calloused fingertips as they pressed lightly against her forehead, tilting her head back slightly so that she was looking up at him. She met his red eyes, surprised by the intensity of them, before her attention was caught by the pulsating glow of the lavender eye above them. She sat like one mesmerized, watching as the lightly green shimmer slowly dissolved from the unblinking iris. It was almost as if she could see the dark flame that he had appeared to her inside the black pupil, which was shrinking even as she stared.

He slowly withdrew his hand, and Sango felt her breath catch as the feel of his fingers lingered on her sensitive skin for long moments after they were withdrawn. She felt slightly dizzy and slowly became aware of other sensations tingling across her heightened awareness. Her skin felt thin and alive with a thousand confusing impressions. She could _feel_ the air around her, pressing against her body, and could feel the current of energy that swirled through it---an energy that felt hauntingly like her own. A faint breeze stirred her hair restlessly, and her skin prickled beneath its heady touch. The fine hairs on her bare arms stood up and goose-bumps formed a pattern that left her almost shuddering with its intensity. Her clothes felt heavy, the warp of her turtleneck rubbing against her back, the sturdy denim of her jeans almost harsh in the wrinkled folds at the bend of her knees. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and could feel the air moving inside her, drawn along by her blood as the oxygen was rushed to her heart and lungs and then pushed out to her limbs. The energy---jyaki---that surrounded her was inside of her, and she could feel it burning a path of awareness across every inch of her body.

"Holy shit---you just lit up like a light bulb!" Yusuke's awed whisper was a harsh shout to her suddenly sensitive ears and Sango winced, closing her eyes and then blinking them back open as the edges of her lashes pricked her skin. She felt tight---too sensitive---too alive---too feeling---it was unnerving, unsettling, and damn uncomfortable.

"Too soon." Kurama broke into her wild thoughts. "You're becoming overwhelmed by your new awareness of your demonic energy. Shield yourself---"

"How?" Sango whispered, her lips tingling from even the contact of that passing breath.

"Gods, must you be shown everything?" Hiei growled, suddenly dropping a hand back on the top of her head that made her want to jump back from the shock of it, for even that light pressure on her aching scalp had her gritting her teeth.

He was suddenly there, back inside her mind, his presence a lot stronger now than before---though it might have been her own super-sensitivity to everything around her. It was as if everything was magnified a hundred times its normal impression upon her senses, and she was startled by the sheer strength he exuded, the dark, icy flame that coiled around her almost hungrily reaching out for her own warmth…

She shuddered with that thought and felt a growl of anger echo behind it, as the affronted demon deliberately strengthened his presence, like an icy sword sinking into her heightened awareness, and snapped, _'Push it out.'_

_'Push _what _out?' _She was fed up with his attitude and didn't bother to hide it.

_'How unfortunate you didn't replace your _brain_ when you decided to replace your heart, hanyou,'_ he retorted as she saw red.

"Uh…Kurama?" Yusuke's voice interrupted their mental spat as he surreptitiously edged away from the frozen pair. "Should her eyes be that bloody?"

Sango stiffened, angry that her control over her emotions was proving to be so weak. Damn that little bastard for making her so angry---

_'Don't you remember that I can hear your every thought, hanyou?'_

_'Quit calling me that!' _she snapped back, suddenly wanting him _out_ of her thoughts, and _pushed_ with all her might.

The wind came with a whistling howl, rushing around them like a small whirlwind that set their hair tangling every which way as the dying fire blew up like a torch before dying, the burnt remains scattering with torn up leaves and grass and dust as the force behind them blew outward. Kurama tucked his head behind his raised arm as Yusuke went diving behind the nearest rock for cover. The draping moss that partially covered the front of the cave was torn away, the small pebbles and rocks blasting away with the rolled remains of their dinner to sail off with Hiei's coat, which flew up overhead like a giant black bird with a white crest before it sank like a stone as the wind abruptly died.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Damn it." The fire demon glared as Sango raised her bowed head, which she had ducked behind her own shielding arms as the tempest raged around them. She blinked, and he disappeared, going after his errant clothing.

Yusuke burst out laughing. "Ha! Now _that's_ funny."

"Shut up, Detective," came the sour reply from the dark. "Or do you _want_ to die?"

Kurama smiled slightly as he ran a distracted hand through his tangled red hair. All that careful combing earlier had just been shot all to hell, and he just hoped he didn't look like Yusuke---who rather resembled a spooked cat with his short black hair standing out all over the place.

The taiji-ya looked a little stunned, though not as alarmed as earlier, which meant that Hiei's little ploy had worked. _'Not the smartest tactic, to make her angry enough to push her energy out that way. Hiei can be even more thoughtlessly impetuous than Yusuke at times.'_

Still, it had worked. That edgy, wild look was gone from the taiji-ya's eyes and she didn't seem half as frightened. Closing his eyes, Kurama felt the energy around her and was quite satisfied by the careful shield that had been erected as her over-abundant energy was flung out of her body by that blast of anger-fed wind. It was a natural defense, one almost automatic (and instinctive) for any youkai child, and he was happy to see the girl was now in touch with her energy enough for her instincts to react like that.

"Heh." Perhaps Hiei had been smarter than the fox had given him credit for, for he had proved not only that she could use her energy, but that she could control it. Although that blast of wind had seemed like a simple flare of her anger-driven antagonism, she had been sharply focusing it on getting the offensive apparition out of her mind. Lightly in touch with Hiei's thoughts, Kurama had been witness to their whole conversation and her poignant reaction to it.

He savored the memory of the multi-hued rainbow of emotions that had made up the taiji-ya's rather distinctive mental presence. He had felt Hiei's annoyance---the demon didn't particularly like to be exposed to that much passion, but Kurama, not as inured as the fire apparition was to that kind of intense, internal knowledge of another person, had been rather intrigued by the rich complexity of her mind. She was so careful to hide her emotions to the outside world. He had known there was depths to her, depths that called to him in strange ways of both longing and curiosity.

Shaking his head at his strange thoughts, Kurama put them aside to go and help the slayer back up to her feet. She looked delightfully rumpled, her long hair hanging in a dark spill of tangled ebony around her shoulders and back, blending in with the dark shadow of her clothing. With the fire gone and the moon hidden behind perpetual clouds---for it was rare for the skies of demon world to be clear of them, though it did happen from time to time---the darkness of night had intruded so that he was thankful for the keenness of his kitsune eyesight, which allowed him to make out her features in the darkness.

Yusuke was not so lucky. Kurama smiled slightly as he heard a muttered curse as the ex-detective tripped over the pile of the taiji-ya's weapons, which had kept her cloak pinned by their weight even as it had folded over them in the windy gale that had effectively swept the top of the hill clean of debris.

"How are you feeling?" Kurama asked, extending his hand to her. She hesitated a moment before sliding her calloused palm in his, but he thought it was more from the sensitivity she had experienced earlier than from any hesitancy on her part for the offer of assistance. At least, he hoped that was it.

"Better." She smiled slightly, a rueful twist that was almost gone as it appeared. She released his hand as soon as she was on her feet, the motion quick and jerky. She backed up a bit, putting a little distance between them, and Kurama sighed. Her guard was up and firmly back in place, and although he could understand why---tonight had been rather trying for her, exposing as it was---still, he regretted the defensive reflex that had her putting distance, both physically and figuratively, between them.

"Well, you sure know how to put a fire out quick." Yusuke's teeth flashed in the darkness as he grinned and came over to rumple the back of her tousled head with one hand. She ducked away with a discomfited noise and Yusuke laughed.

"Damn it---why must you be so touchy all the time?" she growled, tossing her wild hair over her shoulder with a fierce glare.

"Why are you so damn _touchy_ about it, hmm?" Yusuke deliberately baited, grinning at his own bad pun.

Surprisingly, she laughed and shook her head at him. "You're hopeless, Yusuke."

The detective only grinned, hands on his hips as he snorted. "That's what Keiko always tells me."

"She's right, you know." The reminder of the detective's girlfriend seemed to relax the taiji-ya so that she even suffered when Yusuke gave her a mock-punch to the shoulder. She only waved a hand at him, like batting at a fly, and he chuckled.

Kurama watched the byplay with more than a touch of irritation, though none of it showed on his face. His voice was clipped, though, when he said, "Can you now feel the difference between your jyaki and your chi?"

"She'd better." Hiei's voice was hard as he abruptly appeared beside the fox, coat firmly wrapped around him. His glare was particularly poignant.

"I do." The slayer had stiffened up again, her voice as sharp before she seemed to unfold, a strange look passing through her troubled gaze as she offered softly, "I---thank you."

"Heh." The fire demon borrowed Kurama's favorite expression before disappearing again.

"Three-eyes sure likes to make a dramatic exit, doesn't he?" Yusuke broke in unnecessarily.

"Shut up, Detective." The voice came from the rocks above them. "You really do want to die, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Sparky," Yusuke tossed back, completely unfazed by the deadly menace in the fire demon's chilling voice. He broke into a deliberate yawn, wagging his hand in front of his face. "Damn, I'm beat. What a day. Well, fire's out and the dishes are somewhere out in the middle of the forest---thanks to you, Anei---so I'm for bed. Who's with me?"

"An excellent suggestion, Yusuke," Kurama replied before turning to the slayer. "Anei?"

She nodded, only pausing long enough to fetch her cloak and gather her weapons before gingerly following Yusuke inside the darker shadows of the cave's entrance. Kurama paused, glancing up at the height above him. "Coming, Hiei?"

"Hn." There was a wealth of emotion in that simple grunt. Completely understanding what the demon left unsaid and the turmoil behind it, Kurama only shrugged.

"As you wish, then." He paused another moment, looking up at the dark form he could not see. "Hiei?"

"What?"

"Thank you."

There was no reply, and Kurama didn't expect one. Slipping inside the cave, he left the fire demon to work out whatever it was he needed to on his own. If Hiei needed his help, he would ask. Otherwise, he had some particular plans in the morning for the taiji-ya, whose newly-won awareness of her demonic energy was just the first step in her training. One must not only accept, but embrace their nature in order to truly understand their selves. He had an idea or two for that, but it meant getting up with the dawn, and he needed sleep as much as the other two if he were to carry it out.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: This has taken longer for me to rewrite than I expected. A few weeks ago, I got a virus and lost everything. Mou---I'm still recovering all the stuff I lost, but actually the rewrite has come out better than I expected, and I'm plowing ahead. Thank you again and again for all the reviews---they kept me at the keyboard when I wanted to howl and curse the Fates instead of backing up my system…heh-heh…live and learn…grumble. =) _

_Second A/N: Oops. I had Kurama calling Sango by her real name. I've edited it out in this chapter. Thank you, Guyute, for giving me the heads up! I also have to thank you for reminding me of a certain Irish rascal. =P_

WARNING! RUN-ON SENTENCES, PURPLY-PROSED WIND DEMONS AND A SQUEEZE OF LIME, SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND BLAH BLAH YOU KNOW THE REST…

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

A hand on her shoulder woke Sango early the next morning. She blinked up at the young man who knelt beside her, a finger to his lips as he gestured for her to follow him outside. For a brief moment she hesitated, but his lightly-glowing green eyes silently implored she trust him, and she finally capitulated with a brief nod. Flipping back the blanket of her cloak, she automatically gathered up her sword and shoes before carefully picking her way past the other two, who still slept---though she had a niggling feeling that Hiei, at least, might be faking---and followed the red-haired kitsune outside.

It was the hour just before dawn. It was chilly and dark with no moon to cast even a faint luminance behind the perpetual clouds that covered Makai. Those clouds hung low and swollen, a paler blot against the darkness of the night. Sango shivered, wishing she had thought to bring her warm cloak with her, but anxious to catch up to Kurama, who was already climbing down the hill, reed basket under one arm. Tugging on her boots, she scrambled after him with far less grace. She could not see as well as he, with his kitsune eyesight, and the darkness seemed thicker as she descended.

He caught her arm as she lurched on a bit of gravel at the bottom, and she blushed. He let go, but bent his head close to hers to whisper, "I wanted to show you a part of demon world that few know to exist. Will you let me?"

He was so close his long hair tickled her bare arm and Sango felt her skin prickle under the heat of his passing breath across her cheek. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and quickly moved away, disgruntled by his proximity and her unsteady reaction to it. Lips twisting wryly, he gestured toward the shadowy woods and led the way as they disappeared between the tall trees.

Sango carefully trailed the kitsune's steps, surprised at the wandering path he led her. His form was but a light blur ahead, his ruddy hair a darker shadow that split the pale cast of his light green robe. They pressed deeper into the woods, he bending the rare branch or bush that swept low into their path out of her way. Glancing around her, Sango warily stepped closer to him, realizing that the shadows had deepened and the trees had grown thicker, the brush thornier. Kurama made no sound before her, and while she kept her tread light, she still scuffed the occasional dry leaf beneath her foot as she tried to penetrate the darkness with her anxious gaze.

She almost bumped into him when he paused to sweep a thick stand of ferns aside at the lee of a fallen log to reveal a small patch of mushrooms that glowed with their own ghostly aura. The jyaki within them beckoned with a gleaming radiance across their perfect, round shapes as they huddled amid others in the split hollow of the dead tree's trunk. Kurama crouched low and said lightly, "These mushrooms are carnivorous; they attract their insect prey with their glow."

Sango made a face. Trust a mushroom in Makai to be some type of evil carnivore. But Kurama bypassed the glowing mushrooms for the more mundane ones beyond them. "These, however, are perfectly edible," he said, his fingers cleverly twisting the grubby caps free. Dropping them into his basket, he gracefully stood and scanned the small glade around them.

"Demon plants often like to hide their nature among other, more ordinary, plants," he supplied as his fingers skimmed over a thick tree's rough bark.

"To better deceive their prey?" Sango asked, slightly soured by that fact.

"Or to protect themselves from becoming prey." The kitsune shrugged. "That is the way of nature, even in the human world, that one who feeds on others is often food _for_ others."

Sango nodded, for he seemed to want a response of some kind, but she still didn't feel comfortable in this world with its odd creatures and strange plants that resembled Ningenkai's but were still so different, and often in ways that were more sinister than their living world cousins.

"Come, there is more I would like you to see." Kurama gracefully stepped over the log, Sango gingerly following after. The trunk was wide---she actually had to hop on top of it to get over it. The scrape of her boot against the dead wood startled something out of the other end, and she instinctively shied, one hand on her hilt as Kurama turned his head and smiled as the small creature---which resembled a weird cross between a rat and a bunny with its long, skinny tail that ended in a puffy ball---dove for cover under a stand of strange, hairy bushes.

"Cotton-tail," he explained as he extended a helpful hand to her. Disgruntled, Sango took his offer and let him assist her up from her crouch on the log and back down to the ground beside him. "Much like the rabbits you've known, but more true to the name, actually."

She stared after the creature, trying to see if she could spy it among the low, fuzzy leaves of the brush where it lay hidden, but it had disappeared. Shrugging, she followed Kurama once more as he wove a careful path through a low stand of half-grown berry brambles. He paused to pick a few of the riper berries, passing one to her with a motion that she try it. Sango tentatively took a bite, and was surprised by the tart burst of liquid that flooded her mouth and left her lips puckered in surprise.

Kurama laughed softly at her expression. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you that the rue-berries were young yet. Their taste grows sweeter as they ripen, but many people like the tartness of an earlier harvesting." He palmed a few with evident relish, his own mouth twisting as the tart flavor flooded his tongue. "There's a small pool nearby, where you can wash the taste out if you want."

Eager, for the tart fruit had left her mouth dry, Sango nodded as Kurama led the way, a half-smile playing about his lips as he ate a few more berries along their path. Sango was surprised by the easy assurance of the kitsune as he followed what seemed to be some type of deer trail through the tangle of berry bushes. There was a relaxation to him, an easiness, that seemed to come from his surroundings, as if he felt more at home in this shadowy wilderness than in any other. Usually, his expressions were so guarded, his gestures so controlled, but he seemed to walk with a lighter step, as if the forest took some unnamed burden from him.

Rounding a giant, vine-covered trunk that stood thicker than both of them put together, Kurama pulled back a stand of tall, ferny-looking plants to make a way for her to squeeze past him. Sango blushed as she did so, and then gasped as her eyes fell on the small, hidden dell that was revealed. Concealed by the huge stand of giant trees and towering ferns, as if they stood sentinel over it, the small pool and its ethereal surroundings was such a picture of sweet beauty it brought an ache to her chest.

The water bubbled to itself, laughing over the mossy stones that thrust up from its depths. Flowers were everywhere, their sweet scent languishing on the air with a heady perfume as their long, draping leaves trailed across the pool's edge. Petals spun lazily about the mild current, pulled by the eddies of the spring below. Grass grew thick and luxuriant along the bank before the thick, gnarled roots of the giant trees interrupted their path. Ferns grew at the base of each tree, and grey moss hung from the lower branches and carpeted the lower trunks. There was an odd radiance to the small clearing, a radiance lent by the star-shaped, pale yellow flowers that grew everywhere and the dancing motes of light that surrounded them.

Sango froze, alarmed by the ghostly aura that came from the beautiful flowers and remembering Kurama's warning about the poisonous mushrooms, but he whispered, "It's all right. They're harmless. They glow to attract the pixies, who feed on their nectar."

"Pixies?" Sango's eyes widened and she stared up at the dancing lights that seemed so much like fireflies, blinking in and out in colors of gold and orange, yellow and white. But wait---there was a red one, and a blue, and now that she looked harder, she could see other colors, all gleaming softly like paler versions of the rainbow. A green one seemed to separate itself from the others and slowly winked towards them. Sango surreptitiously edged away from Kurama as his body brushed past hers to enter the small clearing, the ferns feathering closed behind him.

She watched as Kurama, his skin lit with a golden cast as his ruddy hair was turned to darker fire by the pale radiance of the flowers around them, extended a palm to the small green light, who danced closer as he let out a low whistling sound to coax it closer.

It piped a reply, the glow brightening a little, and he answered with another low noise of reassurance. Sango's breath caught as the pale green figure delicately settled on the fox's outstretched fingers, its own small hands gripping his bent thumb for balance as it stared up at him with soft green eyes devoid of iris or pupil. It was a perfect woman in miniature, the translucent wings flicking lazily like a butterfly's from between its shoulders as it stared up at him. Its---her---short hair was a green cap above a face that was missing both nose and lips, but resembled a human's, being ovoid in shape, and was dominated by her green eyes, which glowed with a mild gentleness.

The pixie gave a trilling descant of inquiry, and Kurama smiled softly as its wings flicked rapidly, the translucent lines gleaming with a greenish hue. Sango saw another mote break off from the rest to come closer, its whistle sharp. She smiled as the first pixie turned to face it, trilling back with a scolding tone as the second circled around and just out of reach as Kurama waited patiently for it to alight as well on his outstretched palm.

The second pixie refused to land, but circled warily, calling out to the first with definite warning. It was a male, much like the other except that its wings were golden, its hair almost white and its eyes a sort of orangey-yellow that darkened as the female tittered back, hands on her hips. Sango blushed, realizing that the male was as naked as the female and as exact in detail to a man---except for the face, of course---but had to laugh when the female chittered angrily up at her arrogant summoner, taking to the air to scold him as he hastily flew back, wings fluttering in alarm.

Kurama smiled down at her and Sango unconsciously stepped forward to follow the progress of the irate female and her wary male. They flew back up towards the others, who flitted between the towering treetops, until they were lost to sight as their glowing bodies became mere blinking motes in the distance.

"They're so beautiful," she said in wonder, entranced by the dancing lights above them as she craned her head back to catch a glimpse of the others.

"It's good they are cautious, for they are not that intelligent," Kurama said, his green eyes following the lazily flickering motes as well. He turned to look down at her. "The water is fresh, if you would like to take a drink. The flowers are not poisonous."

"They smell so sweet." Sango paused to touch one with a single fingertip before kneeling at the pool's edge to cup her hands and bring the cool liquid to her lips. She shook her hands dry, delighted as the drops of water twinkled like diamonds amid the softly golden radiance of the flowers surrounding her. She blinked as a single blossom filled her vision, and her brown eyes rose as Kurama smiled down at her, eyes warm as he extended the perfect bloom towards her with a coaxing twinkle.

"Uh…thank you." She bit her lip and blushed as he casually dropped the flower into the cup of her palm, his fingers lightly trailing across hers. Raising it to her nose, her eyes closed as she drank in the sweet fragrance. She started when he lightly touched her shoulder.

"Come, there's more," he said, his eyes dark and unfathomable and even almost fey as he looked down at her. Sango reluctantly stood and followed him, her eyes flicking back up to the dancing pixies as they left the idyllic spot behind. She kept the star-shaped flower to her nose as she trailed the kitsune back through the wild ferns that shielded the small pool from sight, her steps slow and reluctant as they finally emerged among the towering trees that faintly reminded her of the famous redwoods she had once seen on a postcard of North America.

Dawn had crept through the forest, lightening the darkness to a patchwork of verdant growth and indigo shadows. Kurama moved swiftly, his steps sure as he retraced their path and then turned off into another part of the forest that seemed much the same to her as any other, though there were differences in each plant and tree, of course. She realized that this forest was _old_, even by living world standards, but there wasn't the sense of aging to it, but of ancient life ever-renewing. Grey-green moss draped itself along the lower branches of the giant trees, thick vegetation crowding below. The grass was thick, even amid the gnarly roots, which was unusual with trees that grew so large and shielded the earth from the sun as these did. Perhaps it was the jyaki that existed in everything that allowed the plants to grow so well where normally they would not.

Kurama suddenly looked up, and Sango followed his line of sight, though she couldn't make anything out. But a bird suddenly chirped inquiringly, and another answered it, further away. There was a stir to the forest, as if it knew the day was breaking. The light wind that blew the short hair tickling across her cheeks made the leaves whisper lightly to themselves far above her.

A whir of wings and a throaty caw had her reaching for her katana as she frowned at the three-eyed crow that abruptly swooped past her. The crow was much like the one Kagome had once shot with her arrow, shattering the Jewel of Four Souls into hundreds of pieces in the process. Sango's fingers reflexively tightened on her hilt, but Kurama stayed her hand, shaking his head slightly when she would have drawn her blade.

"Watch," he whispered to her, eyes following the bird as it spread its black wings wide to land in the crook of a giant oak tree not far from them.

Something was gripped in its talons, and it did a weird jump-and-flap as it landed, hopping up into the hollow of its nest as it dropped its prize. There was a raspy cheep, followed by another, and Sango blinked as the three-eyed crow crooned low in its harsh throat, croaking a gentle scold when the raspy cheeps rose in a demand to be fed. She watched in bewilderment as the mother crow fed her chicks as any normal raptor would, tearing strips from the dead animal it had brought and transferring the meat to the gaping beaks of its begging young.

Of course, she knew demon crows bred and bore young, but she had never really thought about it. But seeing the little family made her bite her lip, thinking of how she had always seen the three-eyed birds as simply vermin. Not that the demon crows could not be particularly vicious, especially when they claimed a field for their territory---she had seen them peck out the eye of a man, chasing the poor farmer off his field just because they had decided it made a perfect place for them to call their own, but this…this added a new dimension to what she had always never given thought to, and she suddenly felt a pang of regret for the birds she had slain.

Well, mostly. The ones after the Jewel shards, the ones who attacked humans, well, she would have exterminated a rabid animal just as she had exterminated them, if it had taken it into its head to attack innocent people who could not defend themselves.

Kurama was watching her expression intently and seemed satisfied with what he saw, for he gave her an encouraging nod. "Nothing is ever what it seems, Anei. Everything always has a story; truth has many sides."

That enigmatic statement was followed by his casually turning aside to peel back a stand of feathery-looking plants to pull up a few others that grew closer to the ground and drop them inside his basket. Sango silently followed the red-haired fox as he walked past the wide oak tree, eyes intent on the growth around him. She watched as he paused here and there, picking at one thing and discarding another with a randomness that was not truly as random as it seemed, for they were making their way steadily deeper into the forest, the ground sloping slightly as they penetrated further.

She was able to pick out a few plants that she knew---wild onions, a herb whose name she could not recall but she knew was good for fevers, a thorny bush with berries too young to try and eat yet. Kurama seemed content to walk and gather in silence, and she relaxed and watched the forest around them, surprised by the quiet peace that wrapped around her even as the small residents of the wood started waking to their day. Not everything was as innocent as it seemed, but even those dangers that would normally have her reaching for her sword seemed somehow less threatening.

She warily watched a bulbous, purple eyeball with wings like a bat that perched in the lee of an upper branch of the tree Kurama was currently working around. The eyeball blinked sleepily at her, sinking further into the shadows of its chosen branch as the wan daylight of Makai seeped through the curtain of leaves, the lid finally drooping closed. She saw red eyes glowing at her from hidden hollows, and sometimes heard scurrying in the brush around her as she passed, startling those out of her path by her step. She wondered what they were, but they couldn't pose any danger, for Kurama ignored them, and her own acute sense of warning remained silent and undisturbed. She saw a small deer pause, its soft blue eyes widened in alarm as they came upon its small meadow, before it leapt away on cloven feet, small horns gleaming wickedly sharp in the slightly pinkish daylight that sparkled down between a gap in the giant trees.

Sitting on a tree stump as Kurama picked his way through a tree of strange fruit that were a deep scarlet in color and grew between two sprouting buds, so that they looked like bloody eyes---which, of course, were their name, ugh---Sango started as she saw an ugly, little, moss-covered thing pass by, a small club over its shoulder. It stood no higher than her knee, and paid her no mind, trudging its way over a tree root and eventually disappearing. She felt Kurama's eyes on her, and she shrugged, a wan smile flickering across her lips at the odd intrusion. He smiled back, eyes inscrutable, and reaching up, twisted a bloody fruit free to drop into his rapidly filling basket. "Just one more, and I think we'll be done here."

"Okay." Sango got up from her seat, dusting the back of her pants off, and froze as something growled menacingly behind her. Eyes widening, she looked at Kurama, who had frozen as well. But his mouth was curving up at one corner, and he didn't appear alarmed. Sango slowly turned, hand automatically going to her hilt, and was suddenly face to face with the most adorable koala bear she had ever seen, though it had a tail as long and powerful as a monkey's, and its ears were twice as large and feathered in white down so that they almost looked like wings. Its eyes were pink, and it showed a double row of sharp teeth to her that bettered belonged in a shark's mouth than a furry mammal's. It was hanging upside down, glaring at her as if she was intruding on its territory, and she backed up a step, loathed to test the reach of its long claws, whose curving length looked wickedly sharp.

"Don't worry," Kurama was suddenly beside her, his deeply green eyes alight as he watched the demon with a soft expression. "It won't attack, unless provoked, and doesn't eat meat. Here---" he passed a fruit to her, one of the blood-eyes he had just picked, "offer it this. Go on."

He encouraged her with a warm nod of reassurance when she hesitated, fingers finally closing over the proffered fruit. The koala watched her suspiciously when she turned back to it, hand cautiously extended. It did an amazing flip and hook around its tree limb, righting itself and retreating halfway up the trunk as if startled by her action. Sango giggled, for it gave her such a skeptical look, whiskers twitching madly, that she could not help but laugh at its expression. It glared at her, clearly affronted that its ferocious display had not had the desired effect of scaring her off, and chittered angrily, hooked claws tightening around its perch.

Losing all fear of the creature, Sango smiled up at it. "Come on," she coaxed, extending the scarlet fruit that smelled like a mix of raspberries and apples, or something reminiscent of both. The kaola demon took a tentative sniff, its whiskers twitching as a long, pink tongue licked along its jagged teeth. It made a whining noise low in its throat, and Sango made a low sound of assurance in reply. It studied her for what seemed like hours to her aching arm, but was only a few moments. Abruptly reaching out, it neatly swiped the fruit from her fingers. She jumped back, startled by how quick it had moved, and it cackled at her, triumphant, before disappearing in a scrambling flurry of swaying leaves as it retreated back up the trunk with its prize.

Except its long, grey tail hung down from its hiding spot, giving it away. She laughed, she couldn't help herself, and the tail disappeared with a jerk, the annoyed, stuffed-mouth growl making her giggle with a delightful freedom that she had not felt in far too long. She turned dancing eyes on Kurama, and he looked down at her with a strange warmth in his deep green eyes, one that warmed her straight to her toes and brought a blush to her cheeks as she automatically stepped back from him, wary of her unsettled reaction to the look in his fey eyes.

For he suddenly seemed otherworldly, the living flame of his hair wild around his beautiful face and shoulders. His green eyes, a bare shade darker than the verdant growth around them, seemed more slanted than usual, adding to the impression of a cat who watched her with an indeterminable aim and intensity that had her trembling slightly in reaction to it.

"Kurama?" she whispered, surprised by the strangeness that had descended between them.

"Do you not sense it, Anei? Do you not feel the jyaki in this wood calling out to you? Can you not feel it as part of you? This is the reason I brought you here…for you to see a part of demon world that few can even admit exists. This world…it's not all terror and mayhem, blood and anger. It is as real as any other, with its own savage struggles and its own natural beauty." His eyes were suddenly sad, and she felt a strange ache of sympathy for his expression, which spoke of too much knowledge, the burden of that knowledge and the weariness of spirit that came with it. His fingers reached out to feather across the rough bark of the koala's tree beside them.

"This forest is old, old beyond reckoning, but the life within it, it's young and wild. Reach out around you, Anei---_feel_ the jyaki that flows through every living creature in Makai, and see what it is I can't really explain…"

She hesitated, for he seemed almost terrifying in the urgency of his plea, his expression at once both desperate and earnest for her understanding. Her brown eyes searched his for a long moment before she finally closed them to seek out the jyaki within her, as Hiei had shown her only last night. It was there, slipping over her awareness with a welcoming feeling of _rightness_ as she sunk herself into it. She followed it up and back as it flowed through her heart, lightly pulled along by the powerful surge of her body's energy flows. As she neared the center of her being, she slowly sent her awareness outward, in a gesture similar to what she had used last night to fling off the overwhelming power that had flooded her stunned awareness.

What she felt made her gasp in shock, for the same energy that was inside her, pulsing life within her youkai-human body, was also _outside_ of her, written in lines of fuchsia fire that bound and flowed and connected everything together in a giant web across the whole face of the world, from smallest rock to deepest stream, from tallest tree to wispiest cloud. It flowed through every living and nonliving thing in Makai, exploding in a powerful fountain from the strongest youkai to the merest dewdrop for the tiniest denizen that skittered beneath the leaves her feet rested upon. It knit everything around her in its welcoming embrace, joyous in the simple act of being, and it received her with an aching tenderness that brought un-fallen tears to her eyes, for she had not even realized that she had been missing that for so long, so very long…

It was the feeling of being recognized and wanted, knowing that she was both such a small part of something so much more important and vast than she could ever think to ever be a part of, and yet knowing that she was a part both needed and necessary. Knowing that her small voice among thousands and even hundred of thousands would have left an empty void in the fabric of this world if she were not there to fill it, and the tears crept down her cheeks in heart-touched recognition that she was---_home_.

"Can you not feel it, Anei? The world around you? You are as much a part of it as it is a part of you." Kurama's quiet voice was oddly accented with the growling echo of when first she had met him, when he had worn the ethereal face of his kitsune nature, as if Youko were somehow closer to him than before.

She said nothing, caught up in the wonder of it all. Her chin lifted, her eyes still tightly closed as her nostrils expanded, taking in a deep breath of the wind that suddenly stirred around her, calling to her with a song that quickened her blood and sped up the beat of heart in response to its lilting draw. She suddenly understood just how much she now was and had become, and she knew that she could never again forget that she was more than she could have ever thought to be, and wondered guiltily why it was she had ever thought it wrong…

"You cannot only accept your jyaki, Anei…" Kurama's husky whisper was like a warm honey that flowed all around her, melting away the last shreds of her reluctance to acknowledge that she was what she had always been---herself. Youkai, human, did it matter? They were just labels---words without meaning except that which you assigned to them. Meanings that were lies of bitterness and denial. Meanings that were unworthy of who she was---wholly and fully.

"You must…" His voice lowered, growing even more rough, and Sango's eyes flew open in surprise at the feel of him cradling her to him, his strong arms circling around her shoulders and threading lightly through her tangled hair. His head was bent over hers, his face so close she could feel the warm breath on her lips, which she parted in a light gasp at the achingly gentle way he held her, as if she were something fragile and precious. The look in his green eyes, darkened with passion and something else she could not name, made her heart skip and her breath grow shallow as strange, fluttering sensations flooded throughout her body, leaving an ache in their wake as they passed.

Not something new, this sensation. She had felt it, once or twice, with her beloved houshi, when held tenderly in his arms, but she had never expected to feel that need---that desire---again, and she was caught off-guard by how quickly Kurama evoked it. She felt suddenly vulnerable, and her eyes widened as he bent his head, his lashes lowering as his warm breath heated across her tingling lips. "You must…embrace…it…"

And then his mouth claimed hers, and she was spun up in a world of utter sensation that was entirely new and foreign, for she seemed to feel each press of his lips upon hers, each movement and each lingering nibble and caress of his tongue like it was expanded a hundredfold, as her senses had been last night. His mouth slanted over hers with a master's skill, imprinting his heady desire across her swollen lips even as he tightened his hold on her shoulders, drawing her closer to him so that he could curl himself around her. She felt his tongue sweep across the bow of her lips and unconsciously opened up for him, moaning lightly as his tongue swept inside to curl with hers. Heated breath was exchanged as she went limp in his arms, overcome by the sheer intensity of the moment, each second of which seemed to stretch into infinity. Time lost importance, as did the world around her, as she was caught up in a maelstrom of heady sensation that left her body aching and her heart tightening inside her chest.

She broke apart with a gasp, needing air, and his warm mouth nibbled along her chin and going down her throat, leaving tiny butterflies of feeling to dance in their wake.

"Come now…I must show you…one last thing…" he whispered huskily against her throat, and Sango blinked in surprise as he let go of her shoulders to grab her hand and tug her after him into a stumbling run. Still dizzy with the suddenness of his kiss and the even more suddenness of his hauling her along after him, she staggered past the oak tree and down the hill, pushing through the tangling brush that abruptly opened up into a wide-open meadow that was blanketed from one end to the other in a snow-white drift of beautiful flowers.

Sango gasped, eyes widening in shock as she saw the white lilies that spilled across every inch of the opened grassland. Memory stirred, of a secret garden shared with her brother long ago, and tears sprang to her eyes. She lurched ahead of Kurama, letting go of his hand as she ran straight into the center of that beautiful meadow, her gasp turning into a cry of joyous surprise as thousands of white lilies suddenly took flight around her---soaring up on butterfly wings in dizzying spirals as her headlong run disturbed them into taking to the air. The wind seemed to spring up behind them, a breeze that circled around her and called for her to reach out and touch it. She did so, wrapped in the feeling of beauty and magic that sang all around her. The wind---Kagura's wind---was a part of _her_, just as much as Kagura's heart was now hers, and she breathed it in and became one with it as it danced, sending her spirit soaring up with the white butterflies as they arched over and around her in a dizzying blizzard of snowy splendor.

She opened herself wholly to that wind---feeling it and embracing it, as Kurama had told her, and the tears that ran down her face were from joy, not sorrow, as her heart took wing. _This_ was what she had been denying---this oneness, this wholeness, this freedom. The wind filled her soul and she joined its song, dancing on airy feet that swirled around her, catching her up in it as she laughed, a sound of such pure, innocent joy and recognition it brought an ache to the throat of the silent man who watched her from the meadow's verge.

Dizzy with the feeling of utter acceptance, Sango rode the wind as it tore around the meadow, casting discarded petals before it as the butterflies soared up above its reach. She could feel herself running wildly, her feet barely touching the ground, and suddenly she was borne a foot or two up off of the grass, the wind cradling her body on its breath as she spun in a dizzy circle of heady freedom. It could not hold her long---her power was too new, her control too slight---and so she slipped from that buoyant grasp to tumble to her knees in the grass, the beautiful white lilies rising up around her shoulders as she laughed in pure elation.

The wind was tugged from her light grasp, pulling up out of her reach even as her hands rose above her head to try and catch it back. It was pulled by another, one much stronger than she, and she suddenly froze, growing icy with dread at the knowledge. The wind was sent rushing back towards her in a fierce blast that sent her long hair streaming behind her as she bowed her head and raised her crossed arms to shield her face from the grass and petals tossed back on her by the force of it.

Eyes shut tight against the strength of the gale, she instinctively rolled aside, grasping the hilt of a knife and pulling it free as she danced back to her feet. Unconsciously feeling out where the new threat lay---_there!_---she flung her blade at him, releasing a second and third as she rolled back away towards the forest's edge, where Kurama had remained standing under the thick trees. She could feel the---whoever it was---dodge her thrown knives and cursed, yanking free her sword as she whirled into a defensive crouch that was met with a hearty laugh as---whatever it was---landed right in the spot she had just been kneeling.

"Well, ain't you a quick one." The accent had a strange lilt and Sango blinked as the howling wind suddenly died to stillness, cut off with a wave of his hand.

Kurama, who had already drawn his rose-whip and was crouched in front of her, slowly got up to his feet, the tension dropping from his shoulders and back as if he seemed to know the youkai who now stood, arms folded and blue eyes dancing, in the middle of the meadow. Sango frowned, not recognizing the muscular demon with the small white horn in the middle of his wild crop of bright red hair, which was lighter and more orange in color than Kurama's thick mane. He wore a bare nod to what one might consider a shirt---crossed sashes tucked into the belt of his hakama, the billowy white fabric of which were tied tightly to his lower calves in a type of wrapped shin-guard that matched those on his lower arms from elbow to wrist.

"By all the living saints who'd never step a holy toe in demon world, if it isn't Kurama! Why, you'd be the last one I'd ever be expecting to see here, m'boyo!" The apparition gave a hoot of delight, bouncing up off the grass to flip once in the air, the wind shrieking from behind Sango to come and support him in midair as he assumed a knees out, arms behind his head sitting pose some few feet off the ground. Raking her hair out of her eyes, Sango shot Kurama a look of pure bewilderment as the fox chuckled softly.

"It's good to see you again, Jin."

Sango lowered her sword, recognizing the name as one Yusuke had dropped when asking if she was kin to him. Jin was a wind demon they had known---one who they thought was Irish. His accent was certainly startling, as were the dancing blue eyes and the fangs in his wide smile, which he was ever ready to share.

"It is at that---and me never expecting to see you this side o' the barrier, especially in _this_ forest of all places. There were rumors of a wee scuffle taking place here a few days ago and I was sent to check it out, you know, seeing as I'm Shinobi and all. And as I'm flying along, never expecting to be seeing my old tournament-buddy---or nothing much else for that matter---I feel a bit o' the wind a'stirring, I does, and I's wondering what might be the cause of it, and was I that surprised to see it be but a wee colleen playing among the lilies, looking like a sweet lily herself, if I might add---"

Sango could only stare at him as he tossed her a wink and a wave and went right on talking. Kurama half-turned to look back at her, an amused glint in his green eyes, before turning back to the lightly-bouncing wind demon, who floated gently on a cushion of air beneath him.

"---and here I am, never expecting to be more surprised than I was to find such loveliness a'calling my name so sweetly on the wind of a nice summer morning, than I was at finding my old friend the fox right here with her, of all places."

He had to be a wind demon to have that much air in him, for he'd hardly taken a breath during that whole speech, and Sango was left stunned, hardly knowing how to deal with such an---exuberant---person. For even as her mind tried to play catch-up with all his words, he spun out of his relaxed seat to land right in front of her with a bow and a clasp of her hand, which he brought to his lips, kissing her upturned palm before she could react, which she did by snatching it back.

"Are you crazy?" She brought her sword up, her checks flushing as hot as her glare into merry blue eyes that only crinkled up at the corners in reply.

"I'm thinking I am, Lily, for do you see me ears?" He pointed to the wide pair of them, which were twitching with excitement. "They'd be wiggling, you know, when I'm happy or setting to roust about---fighting, mind--- and I'm one damn giddy demon right now, with both you and me friend here come to see me so unexpected-like. Now, what be your name, lass? Give it up, now, for I must know from your own sweet lips what name to put to this ache that's started up in me chest upon sight of you." He clasped his hands together imploringly as Sango started backing away from him, for he _must_ be mad.

"Ah, lass, you ain't afraid of me, now, are ya? I wouldna hurt a sweet hair on your head, Lily. I'm a little excitable, yes, but that's nothing to be scared of."

"I'm not scared," Sango snapped, drawn up by the challenge. Her eyes glittered as the demon bounced forward. "Stop right there, youkai, or you'll feel the sharp end of my blade in your belly."

"Oh!" If anything, his eyes lit up even more. The wind suddenly sprang up to form a small tornado around him as he brought his clasped hands up in a prayer and looked heavenward. "Oh, sweet Mary, Michael and Bride---who are probably rolling over right now in their very graves for mine being the one to take their names in vain---and I thought she couldn't get any more lovely than the fairness of my Lily's sweet face."

Kurama coughed as Sango's mouth fell open.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Jin's sudden appearance was rather unexpected, to say the least, but Kurama's quick mind was already considering in what ways he might turn it to his advantage. Jin was, after all, a Wind Master of no small talent and ability. He was one of the Shinobi, the guardians of Makai, who were each powerful warriors in their own elements, trained from childhood by a single Master to replace them once they retired. He had no idea of Jin's personal history, if the training he had received had been by his will or that of his family's. It was considered an honor to be chosen by a Shinobi master, but the youkai himself was usually too young to have much say in the matter.

But the fact that Jin was here, when the fox had been wondering just how he might go about training Anei in the use of her element, with what little he and Hiei might cobble together with their limited knowledge and own demonic abilities---well, it just might be that Jin's arrival would prove rather fortuitous. If he could get the Wind Master to agree to take a few days out to show the taiji-ya just what she needed to know of the basics, at least, than it would be.

Now, how to get them both to agree? For while he didn't think Jin would present too much of a problem---the wind demon was showing rather too much of an interest in the dark-haired slayer, actually, for Kurama's peace of mind. He wasn't ready to admit to just how irritated he was by it, just as he wasn't ready to face the uncomfortable fact that he had just kissed the girl, and not deliberately, no, but purely on impulse. That made him wary, for he was not one to ever lose control over himself like that. He wasn't prepared to answer her understandable questions right now, much less his own. Having Jin to train her for a few days might distract her enough that it would give him time to examine this new development…

Now, though, he had to figure out a way to get her to agree to the plan. From the poignant glare she was giving the wind demon, it wasn't going to be easy. The fact that she _was_ glaring at the enthusiastic youkai actually improved Kurama's mood somewhat, and he even smiled as Jin dug his own grave with his tongue.

"Ah, now, lass, you can't be faulting a fellow for speaking the truth, and the truth is that you are as intoxicating to me as a rarely aged whiskey, what with the smell of the wind fresh upon your skin---though blame me if I canna figure out how it's on you as it's on me, yes? But there's no mistaking when one's had the touch of the dark-wind upon them, when her sister the night has cloaked the world in her shadows---which are helpful, no, to be hiding one's self in, eh?" He winked conspiratorially at her, and the taiji-ya stiffened.

Kurama had never expected Jin, of all demons, to have such a poetic bent, but he was Irish, or appeared to be, and they always seemed a bit flowery in their speech. Perhaps he had just been reading too much of it, though.

Warrior that she was, Anei ignored all the compliments to focus on what he had hinted. Frowning, she lowered her katana slightly, asking, "You can smell the shadows on me? Do you know a way for me to hide them?"

Closing one eye, Jin leaned forward enough so that their noses were almost touching. "Now, what would you be wanting to know that for, eh? 'Tis it possible that you might be wanting to learn a trick or two, and hoping that I might be the one to show you?"

Jerking back with a blush, the taiji-ya said stiffly, "Perhaps."

_"Perhaps?" _Jin flipped right over in mid-air, his roar of laughter shaking the grass beneath him as he did a few somersaults that brought him higher and higher into the air as he shouted, "Perhaps, she says! Ah, if that ain't the funny, than I don't know what is! Oh, Lords above and below, you'll be the death of me, Lily! Perhaps, indeed!"

Brows raising, Kurama watched as the irascible wind demon launched himself up into the sky, a tornado forming around him as he did a neat wingover before swooping back down in a dive that ripped the grass and flowers up in his wake as he sped past both of them. Combing the red hair out of his eyes with wry exasperation, Kurama stiffened to see the sly Shinobi now stood behind the girl, his smirk rather too devilishly shrewd.

"Well, may be it there is a thing or two that I might consider showing you, lass---and more, _perhaps_, if you'd like, eh?" His voice grew silky as he drawled out the end and she flushed, brown eyes widening as he leaned forward and casually propped his chin on her shoulder, ears wiggling and smile growing so that his fangs gleamed as his blue eyes twinkled.

Burying his curling fists in his pockets, Kurama's green eyes narrowed.

Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea after all.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: A warning about Kuwabara's family---I don't remember seeing any mention of them while watching the anime, so have conveniently invented a background for him. It's probably entirely inaccurate, and chalk it up to my lazy sass for not reading up on the manga. Anyhoudini, I wanted to give special thanks to Crazy4u, who has kept asking for updates and made me sit down tonight and finishing editing this chapter, Guyute24 for actually updating her own fic and getting me in the mood, Guardian Angel Sango for inspirational HieiSan artwork, Yue no Rei for her continuous reviews, as well as too many others too name in this insanely long A/N. I will grab you on the next chapter, which is already being written. Thank you all so very much for your continued encouragement!_

_This chapter is especially dedicated to Tausha for letting me read aloud all day Sunday and helping me outline What Is Gonna Happen Next. MWAHAHAHAHA! _

_O.O_

_(Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA! RUNNY SENTENCES AND BAD LANGUAGE AND DELIBERATELY MANGLED IRISH GRAMMAR (MY MEMA WITH THE SMILING IRISH EYES WILL KILL ME FOR IT, LOL)

WORDS

koorime - ice maiden

kaze - wind

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

"Damn it, Shizuru, you're going to make me late for my first day!" Kuwabara yelled at his sister as she tossed one last item into the paper sack she was preparing for his lunch. Folding the end over neatly, she crumpled it into her tightening fist as her brown eyes narrowed.

"Well, then you better get your ass in gear, baby bro." She rammed the crumpled bag into his broad chest to send him stumbling on his way.

"Hey!" Kuwabara protested as the poor cat who had been rubbing up against his legs made a mad dash for the safety of the living room. "You almost made me step on Eikichi!"

"Quit fooling around with that cat and _go!"_ Shizuru scolded, pushing him along with several hard shoves as she herded her towering brother toward the front door. "Do you want to be late on your first day?"

"But---" Kuwabara's breath exploded as his heavy briefcase slapped him in the stomach, courtesy of his sister's forceful toss.

"Go, Kazuma!" Shizuru helpfully opened the front door and pushed him out by her spread fingers on his broad forehead. "Don't you want to make something of yourself? Well, then, quit dawdling and get going!"

She stood on the front stoop as he lurched down the steps, face red and grumbles kept to himself. For all her slender build, his older sister had a mean right hook and wasn't averse to using it when needed. Leaning against the side of the railing, Shizuru pulled out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling the fragrant tobacco before releasing it with a sigh as she watched him go, her expression softening as he turned away.

Straightening his blue uniform with a jerk, Kuwabara squared his wide shoulders and made a face. '_Stupid sister, always making me late…'_

Still, it was nice of her to have made him lunch, though the crumpled bag looked pretty sad, squashed as it was. He wondered idly what she had made for him, and hoped the hours wouldn't drag before he could find out at lunch-time. He always seemed to be hungry. Shizuru often complained that his bottomless pit of a stomach was going to drive her to the poorhouse, though she didn't stint on the groceries and seemed to like making him big dinners. She often bribed him with food to get him to do his homework. Though he knew it was for his own good, the added bonus of her midnight snacks sure helped keep his brain interested in all that boring extra studying she was making him do.

But he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to get into a good college. He'd missed a lot of school during the Dark Tournament, not to mention the last few weeks spent fighting Sensui's gang of psychotics. Now that Yusuke was stuck in demon world for who knew how long with Kurama and Hiei---and Koenma was still not talking to his daddy, the god Yama---Kuwabara had plenty of time on his hands. Shizuru was determined he make something more of his life than she had of hers, and had forced a reluctant promise from him that he would try his best---after much yelling, two solid black eyes and a thorough ass-kicking.

Shizuru had always believed in tough love. Kuwabara just wished she wasn't always so ready to tuck into him for the least little infraction. Not that she didn't always have his own best interests at heart. She had given up her own scholarship to a good school in order to take care of him after their parents died. She had only been eighteen, and she had had to work two jobs to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. The fact that she had sacrificed everything to take care of him both humbled and embarrassed him. He wasn't the smartest guy in the world, but he was determined to make her proud.

And if Kuwabara had nothing else, he had stubbornness and determination to see him through. He never had a problem with hard work, and while it was not going to be easy, he had made a cross-my-heart promise to Shizuru, and Kuwabara _never_ broke a promise.

Besides, there was more than just him to consider now. There was his one true love, the beautiful koorime, Yukina. What kind of life could he provide for her if he kept acting like a dumb delinquent, skipping school and beating up the local toughs? Yukina deserved better of him than to be some high school dropout with no real future. And no matter how damn hard it was going to be, he also knew that _anything_ was possible with the power of love.

And his love for Yukina was that truest kind of love---she was his red-pinky-string soul mate, his ruby-eyed princess, his blue-haired lady fair. Sweet and kind, with the sweetest smile and the kindest eyes…the gentlest nature and the gentlest touch when treating his wounds…he could spend the whole morning just thinking of the concerned look in her beautiful red eyes as she looked up at him…concern for _him_, Kazuma Kuwabara, and _only_ him…oh, Yukina…

With a start, Kuwabara realized that he had arrived at the large school where Shizuru had enrolled him in a special Saturday class that would help him catch up on his missed schoolwork and help him study for the upcoming exams. He was lucky Shizuru had managed to get him in, even if it wasn't at his own Sarayashiki Junior High School, but another one.

Eying the neat navy uniforms around him, Kuwabara felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb, though his bright-blue uniform wasn't exactly regulation at Sarayashiki, either. He had to give this school credit, though---the girls' uniforms, skimpy as they were, left a lot less to the imagination than his school's. Ducking his head, Kuwabara felt his cheeks reddening as he caught himself eying more than one pair of bare legs. _'Think good thoughts…think good thoughts…why do they have to be so short, anyway? Damn school. I wonder what Yukina would look like in one of those green fuku…'_

Eyes bulging, his cheeks got hotter by several degrees and several shades as his treacherous brain supplied him with an image of his one true love thus attired. Embarrassed, Kuwabara ducked himself through the nearest door, hoping against hope that this hallway was both empty and close to his classroom.

Well, he was lucky on one count, at least. It was close to the classroom he was looking for, but there were quite a few students milling around before the bell rang. _'Why are there so many of them? Nobody in their right mind would be at school on a Saturday if they could help it!'_

But it seemed this school had more than one class on Saturdays, so his luck was against him as he trudged his way past the students who eyed him so nervously. He was used to that---besides being rather tall and built for his age, with a bright crop of orange hair that he wore in a carefully curled and gelled pompadour, his uniform was decidedly different from the ones worn here. Well, he would just glare off anyone who dared to think they might try and punk him, and try and avoid stepping on anyone else as he stalked down the hall. There were an awful lot of girls here, all dressed in those short green skirts and white tops that barely covered their midriffs. What kind of wacko pervert had designed these uniforms?! Keiko would have had a fit if she had had to dress like that. Her skirt was even three inches below their school's regulation of just past the knee, and he sure as hell was suddenly aware there might be good reasons for that particular rule…

He managed to make it to the classroom, and before the bell rang, too. That was a novelty, but something he had to start getting used to if he truly wanted to better himself. He surveyed the crowded class with a cool appraisal he was far from feeling, as all the uniformly dark heads turned to stare at him in curiosity. Glaring belligerently, Kuwabara stalked past the full rows to the one empty chair near the back. Many of the students avoided his gaze, surreptitiously edging their desks away or even outright flinching if he stared at them too long.

People often reacted to him like that, even if he wasn't as defensive and embarrassed as he was right now. It still kind of bothered him, even when he wasn't going out of his way to intimidate anyone. But he had always been a big boy, especially around his smaller classmates of full Japanese descent. He had his Anglo father to thank for his height, as did Shizuru, and he never felt so tall and bumbling as he did right now going down that too-narrow aisle.

He paused beside the last empty seat in the crowded room, and eyed the small space between the connected table and chair with resignation. Most school desks were far too small for his big frame. Wedging himself into it was not going to be pretty. He wished the teacher would hurry up and get here. The furtive whispers that had risen in his wake would then die off and he wouldn't feel so damn self-conscious. He could feel the flush creeping up his collar---which suddenly felt too tight---and heating up the back of his head and steaming out his ears, which had to be redder than his hair right now.

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. Stupid Shizuru. Why couldn't she find him an accelerated class at his own high school, where he wouldn't stand out like such a sore thumb? Their neighborhood was more interracial than this one, and he didn't stand out as much there. Dang, this was embarrassing!

His black eyes flicked over the kids surrounding him, and he blinked in surprise when the girl who sat at the desk on his left gave him an encouraging smile. Unlike the other students, she showed no nervousness as she said, "Hi. Are you new here?"

He nodded, slightly suspicious of her open, friendly smile. She was pretty, with long, wavy, blue-black hair and wide, thickly-lashed brown eyes. She had that ivory type of skin that looked both translucent and all glowy somehow, and she would have been beautiful, actually, if he didn't think that only his Yukina could ever carry that title. She wore the school's uniform, complete with red kerchief. Her shapely legs, clad in white knee socks and brown loafers, peeped out from under her desk. He felt discomfited, eyeing her legs like that, and tried to hide it by dropping his briefcase and crumpled lunch on his desk. Something about the girl was driving his spiritual sense bonkers, and he shrugged uneasily as he somehow wedged himself into the desk by sucking in his flat gut as much as he could and hoping to God he wouldn't get stuck.

"It's hard being new. What's your name?" the girl asked, pulling out a Hello Kitty notebook and a rather battered set of textbooks. They looked like they had been dragged through the dirt and dropped down a well, complete with wavy pages and mud stains.

"Kuwabara," he said, sheepishly returning her smile. She was making him feel at ease just by the warmth of it. Maybe this class wasn't go to be so bad. She sure seemed nice. "It's nice to meet you, uh…"

"Kagome Higurashi," she hastily supplied, brown eyes turning to the teacher who had just walked in. Kuwabara groaned, realizing he would now have to get back up out of his seat and hoping he could manage to do it without pulling the damn desk with him…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

To say Yusuke was happy to see Jin was a bit of an understatement. He'd been wondering what had happened to the demons he had met---and fought---and defeated---during the Dark Tournament, and Jin was more than happy to enlighten him. In fact, the kaze youkai was so enthusiastic about it, running over his own words in his haste to tell Yusuke everything, that Hiei took off in disgust for a little bit of peace and quiet, where he wouldn't have to listen to air-headed morons blather on aimlessly---or so he put it to Kurama, who only smiled in quiet understanding as the short apparition took off.

Kurama set himself down to listen as Jin and Yusuke exchanged news after they had exchanged a few fists in joyous greeting. Jin was rather impressed with Yusuke's new combined youkai and spiritual strength. "Ye've gotten even more powerful, you bugger, since last's I've seen ya, and here I'd thought I might be catching up to you, curse it!"

Yusuke only laughed. "Well, one day you might, Jin! But it wasn't easy. I died, you know---"

"No!" Jin whistled. "Now if that ain't just like you. Never do anything by halves, do ya, Urameshi? I told you, you were one crazy bastard, didn't I just? So what'd you do---let a bomb go boom in your face?"

Yusuke howled over the reminder of his memorable fight with the Wind Master, when Jin had pulled his blow at the last minute because Yusuke was willing to play chicken with his Sprit Gun and the wind demon's Tornado Fist. He gaily recounted his adventures since the two had parted, catching the Shinobi up on events since the Dark Tournament.

Jin grew more somber as Yusuke described the ex-detective Sensui's dark plot to build a tunnel for demons to cross over into human world, and nodded. "Aye, I remember the right tear over that one---all the crazy demons there be, thinking they could go off for easy pickings in the living world once they got through the barrier. We Guardians had a time of it then, let me be telling you. We're still trying to contain the upset---where Touya's right now, I suspect. I was sent to go check out this little tussle ye'd had---though it do be sounding like rather a big blow, and sorry am I to have missed out on all the fun you had of it!"

Kurama could only shake his head, thinking of how they had barely survived that battle, but Yusuke changed the subject by asking after their friends. Jin grew a little melancholy, saying as how each of them had gone off to do their own thing pretty much. They were all a little restless and unhappy, missing the tournament and all the training and excitement of it. "It's just not the same, Urameshi, without that fire to win. You know, though, that I'm determined one day to get strong enough meself to thoroughly kick your ass. Guarding's not the same anymore. It's just toss this demon or that, with nothing much exciting happening. How I do miss that."

"Ah, Jin, you'll find it again. You'll see." Yusuke punched the demon's wide shoulder and the long, pointed ears, which had been lowered dejectedly, rose up and twitched.

"Well, now, you're one for encouraging up a lad all right!" Jin beamed. "And with you back around, there's guaranteed to be something exciting happening, no?"

"I'll take that as thanks," Yusuke said dryly, a warm gleam in his brown eyes. He'd missed the simple companionship and understanding he'd had with his best friend, Kuwabara, and Jin was almost as good as having the big oaf around.

"That's not the only thing to get one excited, no?" Jin asked, elbowing Yusuke in the ribs as he did a double-head poke in the taiji-ya's direction. She sat some distance from them, seemingly lost in her own thoughts as she slowly sharpened one of her many knives. Even as they watched, she tested the keen edge of the blade before sheathing it into place alongside the others in the leather belts she usually wore cross-girded along her upper torso. Putting the whet stone aside, she slipped the belt through her fingers, pulling it taut and checking for any stretching of the worn leather.

She suddenly looked up, feeling their eyes on her, and Yusuke's teeth flashed in a grin at her suspicious gaze. A light blush stained her cheeks as her eyes lingered on Kurama for a moment, before flicking to the other two.

Bouncing to his feet, Jin languidly strolled over to the slayer. Leaning an elbow against the rocky wall of the cave beside them so that he could prop his head on his fist, he grinned down at her with eyes too blue and interested for Kurama's growing annoyance.

"So, Lily, you like to play with knives?"

A thin brow rose, and she suddenly went from relaxed and easy to dangerous and threatening without so much as moving a muscle as her eyes narrowed. It was rather enjoyable to watch how she managed to do that; sweeter in Kurama's opinion was the fact that it was because of Jin that she did.

"Why?" she demanded, and Kurama felt a smug smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Ignoring the snap in her voice, Jin only inquired lazily, "Ever use the force of the wind behind 'em? To help toss them about, mind."

Anei blinked; clearly the possibility had never crossed her mind. Pulling a knife free from her belt, she thoughtfully examined it, then silently got to her feet. Walking past them to the edge of the steep hill, where she wouldn't get in anyone's way, she studied the forest just beyond for a moment before suddenly whirling and letting the blade fly with a practiced flick of her wrist. Whistling through the air, it landed with a solid thunk right in the middle of a dead, lightning-struck tree that stood on the perimeter with enough force that it rattled the few dead leaves stuck to its upper branches free.

"Ah, now that there's a fair throw," Jin complimented as he came up beside her with a wicked grin. Chucking her under her chin, which had her drawing back with a sharp intake of breath, he added, "Almost as fair as my sweet Lily's glare, which has the very stars glittering in its dark dep---"

"Enough," she growled, back stiff and spine as straight as the cold steel at her side.

"Oh." Jin's comment had her eyes narrowing. Gone was the gamine grin and playful mischief as his expression turned serious, blue eyes suddenly compassionate as he gently said, "You've been hurt by love then, in the past. I'm that sorry for it, Lily."

_"Don't." _Her harsh whisper was poignant, her eyes shadowed with a pain she quickly hid by turning her head sharply away.

"We've all had that pain, lass, from time to time," he said, his fingers reaching out to gently tuck a stray strand back behind her ear. Kurama froze, his knuckles whitening imperceptibly on his knees as Yusuke's eyes rounded, waiting for her reaction.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sango shifted away from the youkai, her left hand going up to knock his aside, but Jin only took it in his so that she half-turned, her free hand curling on the hilt of her sword as she drew in a sharp, angry breath. But he stopped her, blue eyes darkening as he said softly, "It's never easy, 'tis it?"

"No." She looked up at him, her dark eyes searching his for a long moment before some silent understanding seemed to pass between the two of them. The stiff line of her shoulders relaxed minutely. Jin offered her a lop-sided smile, finally letting her hand go so he could prop his fists on his hips and abruptly change the subject.

"Well, now, how about you give me one of those wee pot-stickers you're so fond of using, and may be it I can show you a better way of throwing, no?"

She snorted, and his eyes twinkled. Shaking her head, she passed him one of her knives, hilt first, and he weighed the finely balanced blade in his calloused palm. "Now, that be a rare fine blade," he said, before suddenly turning and tossing it after hers, the corded muscles standing out along his arm as he let it fly.

With a rush, the wind rose up behind the blade, sending it spinning as it slammed into the center of the dead tree, a few feet above hers. A loud crack splintered up the tree's length, separating the upper half of the trunk until both sides abruptly fell away with a crash that shook the ground beneath their feet as they landed. Several birds took flight from the surrounding forest, screeching in protest at the sudden disturbance.

"Wow." Yusuke walked over, rather impressed as he stared over the edge of the hill at the two halves that now lay neatly on either side of the dead tree, the knife dead-center at the crack's juncture.

"Can I do that?" Sango asked, rather impressed herself by the strength of the wind demon's arm.

"Of course!" Jin said, smile smug. "Let me but show you…"

Quirking a brow in amusement, Yusuke retreated to stand beside Kurama's rocky seat. Crossing his arms, he settled in to watch the show as Jin took the slayer in hand---literally. He had to give the wily demon credit---the taiji-ya didn't even flinch when his hands curled over hers, showing her by demonstration how he channeled his energy directly into the throw, releasing it just before that final snap of the wrist. He took her through the motion a few times, somehow curling his large frame around hers so that their bodies aligned. The slayer didn't even seem to notice, so deep was her concentration as she nodded at whatever he was saying as a slight line formed between her delicate brows and her eyes grew thoughtful.

Yusuke couldn't resist nudging Kurama, grinning wickedly as he said sotto-voice, "He's _good_."

Kurama only gave him an enigmatic stare out of eyes too dark a green. Yusuke winked, but both of them turned back as Jin suddenly shouted, releasing the slayer, "Now, lass! Let 'er fly!"

Her arm snapped forward, and the knife went hurtling over the edge. There was a crack as loud as a gun shot, but it wasn't that that had them drawing back, but Hiei's abrupt appearance in front of the slayer, glower fierce and red eyes hot.

"Watch where you're aiming, hanyou!"

Startled, Sango shied back into Jin's all-too-ready embrace, and the demon's glare flicked down to where the youkai's hands curved lightly over the slayer's hips and then back up. His eyes narrowed dangerously as his hand clamped down on the hilt of his sword.

Hastily scrambling up to his feet, Kurama said sharply, "Hiei---"

"Hn." The fire demon sneered before abruptly vanishing to reappear just past the ashes of their fire, where he dropped a brace of dead birds before jumping up to his chosen perch above so that he could ignore them all to stare up at the darkening purple clouds. It would probably rain later, for they appeared swollen and restless.

"Holy shit!" Yusuke suddenly exclaimed, snapping their attention back as he stared in disbelief at the tree that now stood with a clear crack split straight down its center, Sango's knife dead center at the bottom.

"Wooieee!" Letting go of Sango, Jin flew up a good ten feet as his ears wiggled and his eyes danced. "Now, that there's a good throw, Lily, it being your first and all!"

"Impressive, Anei," Kurama complimented as he came up to them, green eyes warm. Sango flushed, unused to the praise, and Yusuke grinned. Hiei only closed his eyes on an impatient sigh as the ex-detective gave the slayer a mock-punch to the shoulder that left her staggering.

"Oops! Sorry, Anei---I'm not used to my own strength!" He grinned unrepentantly at her and she shook her head, smiling back as she ruefully rubbed her aching shoulder. She stiffened when he threw a friendly arm over her, but he ignored her to grin up at Jin, who was now lightly bouncing overhead, arms crossed behind his head as the wind riffled through his bright crop of shaggy red hair.

"C'mon, Jin, you gonna stay up there all day?" Yusuke teased as the Shinobi gave him a toothy grin, rolling over into a lazy sitting position still some five feet above the ground.

"Perhaps!" was his smart reply, and Sango grew redder as Yusuke deliberately bumped his hip into hers, waving at the smart-ass wind demon with a hearty laugh at her expense.

One red eye opened, and Hiei glared down at them from his negligent perch on the rocks above as Kurama said sardonically, "Well, _perhaps_ it's time we consider starting dinner. It looks like it might storm tonight. You should probably come down, Jin. I wouldn't want you to get struck by lightning."

Jin started, eyes rolling up to the lowering clouds as he made a face. Flipping over, the Wind Master hastily landed as thunder growled above them but still quite some distance off. "Oh, aye, that would ouch, Kurama, that it would!"

"Hmph." Hiei closed his eyes once more, but a smug smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, one mirrored by the kitsune as he turned away.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Dinner was a disaster.

At first, Yusuke had been a little amused as Kurama carefully separated himself from the rest of them by sitting on the far edge of the cave's dark entrance so he could stare at them broodingly as he and Jin entertained Sango with exaggerated stories of their various fights during the Dark Tournament. Seated between them, she was constantly having to turn her gaze back and forth between the two as they both tried to one-up the other with bad lies and worse jokes, snagging her attention by pulling on her elbow or nudging her arm or shoulder.

At least the damn taiji-ya had quit stiffening up like she had a poker up her ass, or worse---shying away like some bugged-eyed virgin nun surrounded by sweaty porn stars. That touch-me-not wall she usually built around herself couldn't hold up to their constant tug-of-war for her distracted attention, and Yusuke had to secretly grin at Jin's adept handling of the slayer when she first flinched away from his touch. The incorrigible apparition had only given her a wide-eyed, hurt look that had made her frown, and then innocently brushed her bent knee when reaching for a second helping of dead bird. Her frown had grown deeper, that thin line appearing between her troubled brows, but Jin had only waved his food around, spouting off about something or other that had made Yusuke, of course, retort with some smart-ass comment that left the wind apparition all but howling and hanging off of a startled Sango's shoulder as he wiped the tears from his eyes and laughed even harder as Yusuke joined in the merriment.

Oh, that had been priceless---especially the resigned look in the taiji-ya's eyes as she finally gave in to the inevitable as Yusuke draped himself along her other shoulder, his free fist hitting his thigh in time to his rising chuckles as Jin chortled beside her. Meeting the wind demon's blue eyes across from him, they had both shared a knowing grin as Sango forced a smile and suffered their presence with a wan look of resignation.

Kurama had watched the whole scene without once cracking a smile, though normally he would at least share their jokes in his own quiet way. But he seemed unusually withdrawn and distant, growing even more so as they kept the game up through dinner, and it had really gotten on Yusuke's nerves. Those two demons could at least quit acting like moody teenagers, and admit they were jealous of Jin's attentions toward the slayer. Sheesh! One would think neither Kurama or Hiei had ever felt that way before…

Yusuke blinked as the thought occurred to him. Sneaking a look at the fox, who wasn't even looking at them anymore, but staring up at the dark, cloud-troubled sky, he wondered if he had thought wrong, for Kurama was suddenly standing and walking away without looking back. A moment later, a black blur followed with the quiet scrape of a boot on stone as the fire demon leapt down from his perch.

"Where be it that they be going?" Jin asked, a brow quirking up as his laughter died and he stared after the departing demons in question.

"Ah, who cares?" Yusuke folded his arms and scowled after his retreating friends. Stupid demons.

"Are they all right?" Sango asked, concerned.

Jin shot her a look, one eye closing as he peered at her with the other, a single finger coming to tap at his chin thoughtfully. Blue eyes cutting back to the place where Kurama had disappeared, the kaze warrior said thoughtfully, "Ah. So that be the way of it, eh?"

Sango shot him a puzzled look but Yusuke only shrugged, though his chocolate-brown eyes crinkled up at the corners in a smile. Ha! Leave it to Jin to figure it out. People always said he and the Wind Master were two of a kind, and the Lord knew any idiot could put two and two together with the way those two emo-boys were acting.

Except one significant idiot was still oblivious, for she gave Yusuke a questioning look that he could only answer with a bogus shrug. Meeting Jin's blue eyes over the top of her black head, Jin mouthed an "Oh!" of understanding, and smirked.

"Oh!" was right, as in _"Oh, crap!" _for the skies finally opened up with no warning but a faint rumble of thunder, drenching the three of them in icy buckets of pouring rain that had them all diving for the cave at once as the fire hissed its dying breath in a smoky stink of wet ash.

Jin beat them, of course, swooping in under the stony overhang like a deranged Superman as Yusuke and Sango scooted in on their feet, all but tripping over each other in their haste to get out of the pounding rain.

"Shit, that rain's cold!" Yusuke stuck his fists in his armpits and shivered. Scowling down at his drenched jeans, he tried shaking the wet tangles out of his eyes as Sango cursed softly, her boots squelching as she tried searching for her dry cape in the inky blackness of the inner cave.

"Oh, give me but a moment---" Jin's cheerful lilt came out of the dark, and Yusuke felt a sudden drawing in of the power around him.

"Jin, wait---"

Too late. Releasing his jyaki, the Shinobi smiled as the wind blasted back out of the cave with a mighty swoosh of expelled air, taking all kinds of dust and debris with it. Yusuke yelped as something round and hard (probably a skull left over from one of the bear's dinners) knocked him in the thigh, and then dove as something else whizzed just over his head. Dirt scoured his crossed arms as he braced himself against the force of the gale, and he sputtered as silence suddenly descended inside the cave as the wind finally died.

"Whoops."

_'Whoops?!'_

He was going to kill that stupid Irishman. "Jin, you idiot---"

"Ah, Urameshi, don't be getting your panties in a twist now. You're dry, aren't ya?"

There was a muffled sound of indignation from the slayer, who had finally won free of her cloak, which had wrapped itself around her like a flagpole in the wake of Jin's impromptu blow-dryer. Yusuke wondered if her hair was standing on end like his now was, but couldn't see anything in the darkness.

"Was that really necessary?" Her voice grit out from the dark as she dropped her cloak at her feet and automatically felt for her weapons.

"It worked, though, didn't it just?" Jin demanded, somewhat chagrined that his impetuous idea was getting such a bad reception.

"One of my knives is missing," Sango said, chagrined as well.

"Uh…I think that was what went whizzing by my head," Yusuke told the slayer, ignoring the wind demon, whose eyes were glowing faintly in reaction to the darkness. Too bad he and Sango didn't have such a convenient pair of blue headlights.

"Damn," Sango muttered, dragging her knife belts to her with a clink of metal. They, at least, were too heavy to have blown away. "That was one of my favorites."

"Oh, I'm that sorry, I am, Lily. I didna mean for one of your wee sticks to go skittering off---"

"It could've killed me, Jin!" Yuuske decided getting out of the main entrance was a good idea as lightning flickered, momentarily searing the inside of the cave in a brilliant wash of light that left spots in front of his eyes after it left. Grumbling, the ex-detective put his hands out in front of him, trying to make sure he didn't bump into anything. Thunder growled, far too loud and close, as his fumbling fingers touched something soft. Surprised, his fingertips skimmed over the round shape, trying to map out just what it was.

"Hentai!" Sango squealed as Yusuke suddenly groped her ass. She had been bent over, trying to gather up her cloak when she had suddenly felt his hand rubbing all over her bottom. Reflex took over, and the sound of her open-handed slap on his cheek echoed throughout the cave as a stunned Yusuke blinked and Jin---who could see everything perfectly well in the dark---fell over laughing, holding his hurting stomach as he gasped and wheezed to catch his breath.

"Urameshi---oh, by Eire---hee, hee----you should but see your face, lad!"

"I can't _see_ anything, damn it!" Yusuke growled, touching his hot cheek with a wince. Damn, but that taiji-ya's smack was almost as strong as Keiko's. Surreptitiously checking for any broken bones, he grimaced. "What'd you do that for, huh? I didn't mean to grope you---"

Contrite, Sango bit her lip as her cheeks flamed. Thankfully, it was too dark for the Mazoku to notice. "I'm sorry, Yusuke."

"Ah, no fears, lass. Urameshi's survived worse than that with that hard head of his. Why, Keiko, now she can send him sailing off with one swing. That's a right fine treat to see, Lily." Jin's fangs flashed in a smile as lightning lit the cave's interior again.

"Shut up, you damn blowhard." Yusuke scowled, not feeling all that charitable with his face still on fire. He could swear that her handprint was now tattooed across his flesh. Damn, but that girl could slap. He was lucky she hadn't used any of that type of strength on him yesterday, when he had sparred with her. Still, the slap might almost have been worth it, for she did have a nicely-shaped ass, one that was very grope-able. It might even be worth seeing if he could get away with it again. But then the thought of Keiko's reaction, if she were ever to find out, made him blanch and discard that idea real quick.

While he sat there lost in space, Sango had pulled some scrap of cloth from her cloak and stuck it outside the cave mouth long enough for it to get wet. Bringing the cool cloth over to him, she silently offered it, expression troubled. Lightly crossing his arms behind his head, Jin summoned a bit of air to cushion his seat as he watched with a knowing little smile as the taiji-ya made what amends she could. Taking the wet cloth that smelled suspiciously of metal polish, Yusuke thanked her and pressed it to his hot cheek.

"I'm sorry," she said again, truly repentant.

"S'okay." Yusuke managed a weak leer. "So long as you don't hit me the next time I decide to grope your butt."

"Good luck with that." Jin smirked as Sango steamed.

"Oh, for my Hiraikotsu," she grumbled as she stomped back to her abandoned cloak.

"Your what?" Yusuke asked, water dribbling down his cheek from the soaked cloth that was actually helping to cool off his smarting skin.

"Nothing." Dropping to the ground, she pulled the voluminous folds of her cloak over her as she rolled her eyes.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Lightning cut the sky, flooding the angry purple clouds with a wan yellow light as its twin flickered further away. Tipping his umbrella plant back a bit, Kurama shielded his eyes from the few splatters of icy rain that fell past its intertwining leaves as he waited for the growl of moody thunder to answer the fitful light. His head turned slightly to the left as he heard a tree rustle just before the grouchy rumble echoed across the sky.

Hiei had disdained the use of his umbrella plant, content to stalk the trees above Kurama's idle wandering through the rain. Well, the hot-blooded fire demon could certainly dry himself off quickly enough, and would expend little of his demon energy to do so. Kurama did not have that luxury. He already felt a little chilled, as the temperature had dropped quite a few degrees after the sky had opened up. Even through the tightly woven leaves of his umbrella plant, rain still managed to slither down his skin, and his zubon were soaked half-way up his calves.

Hiei, impervious as he was to cold or heat, being of both natures, was probably not feeling that, either.

"Heh." It was foolish of him to have left so abruptly. But he had felt the need to get away from everyone, to be by himself with just his thoughts. He needed to sort out his feelings regarding the slayer, and watching Jin and Yusuke flirt so outrageously with her was not helping to dispel the strange sense of jealous irritation he had.

Such petty emotions were beneath him. He was not the emotional type. He was logical, intelligent, cognizant and in control. He was not some moody teenager swayed by undue passion. True, he was passionate, and perhaps too idealistic, but he could also be ruthlessly self-analytical---

"You think too much."

Kurama stepped back, surprised by the fire apparition's abrupt appearance in front of him. Hiei looked rather soggy, though his spiky hair was hardly squashed by the incessant downpour.

"Perhaps," Kurama admitted, and then frowned at his use of the word and the image it conjured up of Jin and Anei's meeting that afternoon.

"I don't know why that particular word is suddenly so popular, Kurama, but it's growing tedious." Hiei, who had not been there for that meeting, turned his red eyes away to the distant shadows under the trees.

"You're soaked." Kurama changed the subject.

"The rain does not bother me," came the sharp retort. "But you trying to change the subject does."

Amused, Kurama only waited for the shorter demon to continue.

"Hn." Hiei's mouth twitched as his red eyes flicked back toward the fox. "You like her. Why is that so hard for you to accept?"

"And what about you?" Kurama challenged, trying to deflect the demon's veracious question.

Hiei gave him a deadpan look. "I'm not the one who kissed her."

Kurama stiffened, his knuckles whitening on the hard grip he had of his umbrella's root. "You followed us?"

"There was no need." Hiei turned away. "Sometimes your emotions bleed through my barrier, fox, no matter how well you try to contain them."

_'But so far?' _Kurama was more than a little perturbed by that fact. It suggested a closeness between the two of them that he was not particularly comfortable with, for there were secrets that he didn't want the fire demon, especially, to be privy to.

"You forget, Kurama, that distance is negligible to the Jagan." Hiei spoke aloud, as if sensing how Kurama was suddenly uncomfortable with the thought of how their minds could speak so easily with one another's. Kurama appreciated that small courtesy.

He was startled from his preoccupation once more by the fire demon's abrupt movement as Hiei leapt back up to his abandoned tree, pausing only long enough to say enigmatically, "Don't worry, Kurama. I will not interfere---much."

And then he was gone, leaving Kurama to ponder alone the empty void he had left, and what it might mean, as the cold rain continued to patter steadily around him.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: This is a really short chapter, more of a scene, actually, than a true chapter. I originally wrote it as the end of Chapter Fifteen, but then cut it at the last minute. I wrote out the next three chapters and realized that I _did_ need this scene, as it explained certain things about our little red-eyed menace to society that I could not leave out. I am editing the next chapter now, and it should be up in a day or two. (Fate)_

_Sidenote: Guyute24 has completed her fic, "Closer to You," a Hiei x Sango x Jin lovely that brought tears to my eyes and a tightness to my chest. Beautiful, beautiful work. I recommend the reading, and you can find it under my favorites on ff(dot)net under YFate._

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

WORDS

koorime - ice maiden

hiruseki - a valuable stone created by the tears a koorime sheds at her child's birth

Amiko - Forbidden Child

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

Jumping to the highest perch he could find still able to bear his weight, Hiei leaned back against the tree's trunk and watched the restless storm play out across the purple skies. The jagged lightning that split spidery tendrils through the low clouds did not frighten him, nor did the icy touch of the rain-ridden wind bother him. The tree creaked, its branches tossing as the gusts came and went at odd intervals, but Hiei only shifted his weight to follow the swaying agitation. His wet cloak felt heavy around him, but the wool actually kept him warm, though his own body temperature saw to that as well.

There was something about a storm, especially one like this, with lots of rain and thunder and light, that soothed the restlessness within him. The Dragon, for once, was quiet, its faint growls seemingly growing sleepy as if it, too, was calmed by the sight. For a time, Hiei just sat there, taking in the savage beauty of nature that raged across the heavens. He smiled slightly when lightning struck but a nearby tree in a shower of sparks and ozone. The resulting fire was quickly doused by the icy sheets of rain that accompanied it, but he could feel the earth shudder below from the powerful strike.

Closing his eyes, he sunk into the Jagan, which gleamed in the shadowy darkness. Summoning his energy, he focused his thoughts like an arrow of seeking, following the thread of awareness he had tied to it as it sped outside the demon realm and into the human world. The image was at first blurry and indistinct, but the kakai barrier had never been built to repel thought, and so it let him pass.

Her face slowly formed, at first a silvery-white blob of spilled paint with odd specks of red that soon resolved itself into Yukina's soft smile and warm scarlet gaze, her pale, silvery-blue hair caught up in her distinctive red hair-clasps. He watched her for a minute, trying to detect if anything troubled her serene features, but she seemed content, and even happy, for her smile widened, and she spoke words he could not understand to someone he could not see.

He expanded his vision to include her surroundings, and caught the wrinkled face of the old priestess, Genkai, who was cleaning up the remains of their dinner and bringing the dishes over for Yukina to wash. It was an achingly homey scene that made his fingers unconsciously curl into a fist even as he was reassured that all was well with the twin he had vowed never to know more than in this fleeting way.

Satisfied with what he saw, he let the image go, relaxing his hold on the Jagan and lazily letting it bring his awareness back to Makai. The iridescent green glow slowly dissolved from around his third eye as it drooped half-closed and he allowed his thoughts to drift as they would.

Unbidden, a second image slowly formed---of Kurama ducking back inside the cave and pausing momentarily as he caught the taiji-ya's troubled gaze. Hiei sharpened his focus, and saw as she slowly sat up, still wrapped in the spell-cast cloak that managed to blur itself into an indistinct shape even to his all-seeing Eye.

But Kurama only waved her back, saying something Hiei could not, of course, hear. She nodded, still looking troubled, but sank back to her curled position on the floor, her head pillowed on her bent arm. The other two demons seemingly slept, though Hiei could tell that Yusuke, at least, was faking it. Kurama sat himself down across from the three of them. Putting his back against the wall, the kitsune closed his eyes. Even in the thick shadows of the cave, his long hair was a ruddy flame that danced around him.

But that current image of Anei and Kurama was dissolving into another, and Hiei let it, for it was the memory of the embrace the two had shared this afternoon, deep in the Forest of Fools. Nestled into the crook of a tree much like this one, he had been brought out of a light doze by it, and he ruthlessly examined that vision anew, sorting out the mixed emotions it called up within him and rejecting them out of hand.

The fox often seemed to be incapable of passion, but there was a fire in him that he let few see. Contain it as he might, still it came out when least expected. Wary of the weakness undue emotions could bring, Kurama tried to control them to the point where he was almost paranoid if he felt them. Hiei avoided emotions in much the same way and for much the same purpose. They were very much alike in that respect. Funny, that had never occurred to him before.

Funny how they both seemed to respond to the slayer in much the same way, too. Hiei had not missed Kurama's irritation or annoyance with Jin. He had felt the same way, though the yappity wind demon who never shut up could get on anyone's nerves, if they had half a brain. Not that he didn't respect Jin's particular sense of honor and fair play, but what he could barely stand in one boy---Yusuke---he could not stand in two. Gah. Even thinking about it was making him scowl.

Being ruthlessly honest with himself, he was attracted to the slayer. Even though she was human, and all but hopeless when it came to her demonic powers and potential. Even though she was, by all his estimations, too emotional and far too complicated a knot to untangle. Even though he should hardly care one way or another. Even though, when he had touched her mind, he had seen the darkness she hid inside herself and knew just how much it was like his own…

The Fates had chosen for him long ago, even before his birth, that his was a road that would always be walked alone. Dual-natured and discarded by his own people for it, he had always been shunned for the icy fire that ever burned in his dark heart, because he was what he was and they feared it---that the opposing natures that ever warred within him would one day unleash themselves upon them.

Hiei smiled. They were right to fear him. He gloried in their fear, knowing that it at least guaranteed their respect. Love---he had never needed that. That was never to be his, born as he was and to who he was---an all-female race of koorime who had rejected men and fled to their icy island in the sky where no man would follow. But his foolish mother had done the unthinkable, and lain with a demon, and a fire elemental, no less. Her misfortune was in giving birth to twins---yin and yang; she as pure as he was impure, her nature sweet and innocent, his dark and angry. The koorime had seen the darkness in his soul and knew the battle in his heart, just because he was what he was, a despised demon child of the opposing elements of fire and ice. They had known then what he was capable of, and feared it. Their hatred of that fear had led to their tossing him over the side of their icy island, leaving his fate to the gods and praying fervently for his death.

Hate was something he could understand and embrace. As opposite to love as fire was to ice, he could understand it and know it and use it. For hatred had helped him, as an abandoned youngling, to fend off the bandits who had found him and raised him. Hatred had brought him to where he was now, though it still wasn't enough.

A B-class demon. That was what Koenma had classified him. How pathetic. Even after all the fighting in the Dark Tournament, even after unleashing the Dragon of the Darkness Flame---something of which he had never intended to do, but something that he was now glad that he had.

It had been his hatred and anger of Zeru that allowed him to will the Dragon forth. It was his hatred and anger that allowed him to survive the Dragon's dark hunger and shadow-ridden rage when it had been thrown back at him later, in the fight with Bui. A lesser demon with lesser will than he would have succumbed to the Dragon, his soul delivered to the darkest pits of hell as forfeit for his weakness.

It was strength that had allowed him to succeed in taming the Dragon, where others had ever only failed. It was _his_ strength that had allowed him to keep going, even after the bandits had eventually turned their backs on him, betraying and forsaking him just as the koorime had. Strength had kept him going even after he lost his mother's hiruseki stone in a stupid fight with a worthless ogre. And strength had kept him resolute when he had gone to the surgeon Shigure to have the Jagan Eye implanted inside his body.

Anger and hatred and the desire to exact revenge on his mother's people had seen him through the horrific operation. He had never felt such terrible pain and unending agony as when that bell-wearing, freaky sadist had first touched the scalpel to his forehead and dug into his flesh. Even he, vowed as he had to keep silent, could not contain the involuntary screams that had been ripped from his throat as the surgeon transplanted the Eye into his brow, rooting it right into his very brain.

What was the Dragon's pain to that? Not that taking the Dragon inside himself hadn't cost him, and with more than just mere agony. The Dragon was rage and hate and the hunger and passion of pure, raw emotion in its darkest form. Only he, Hiei the Amiko, Forbidden Child of the Glacial Village, with the icy fire in his heart and the darkness in his hungering soul, could have understood what powered the tortured Dragon in its constant, seething ambivalence. Only he could have embraced the Dragon's nature and welcomed it as lost kin to his own. And only _he_, with his strength and fierce resolve---and the rage and hate that fed that strength and resolve---could the restless Dark Dragon have recognized as its own and allow him to finally contain it.

Lonely he might be in his shadows, but they were his, and he understood them. Kurama, now---Kurama deserved more than just the prison of withdrawal he set for himself. Old and jaded as he was, burdened with Youko's knowledge, the kitsune didn't take part in life, just existed on its edges, watching others from afar---though he gave the appearance of more. But Hiei knew better.

Perhaps this half-demon youkai-assassin could give Kurama more. For that alone, Hiei was willing to suffer her presence.

_'Hn. I lie, even to myself.' _The sneer of disdain for that fact twisted his mouth in self-recrimination. Tilting his head back against the sturdy tree behind him, he opened his eyes and glared at the angry heavens above. What did any of this really matter? It changed nothing, it helped nothing, it did nothing. Reality was what it was. Defining it had never been something he cared enough to do. He did what he did at the time that he did it and that was ever good enough of a reason for him.

He had accused the fox of thinking too much, and here he was following in the kitsune's footsteps. How disgustingly pointless. He did not need to justify anything to himself or to anyone else. If he was attracted to the slayer against all reason, than so be it. He could accept that and ignore it because he didn't have any place or willingness for that kind of foolish, insipid distraction in his life. He had room for only one thing---and that was power.

Not the power he had once craved---power over others. He had been a foolishly brutish demon then, needing to prove to himself and everyone else that he was a force to be reckoned with, one to be feared and respected. It was thanks to his friendship---yes, he could admit that now, though the idea still gave him chills of disgust---with Yusuke, and the others, that had made him see that that kind of power was not what he wanted. No, he wanted that power over self that meant that he had gone beyond even his own limits and reached past his own potential to realize that ultimate strength that resided within him. _That_ was true power.

And if accompanying the detective on his search for this so-called father of his meant accompanying the slayer as well in retrieving her brother and defeating this arrogant demon, well, that was only a path to achieving his own goal. For the strange feelings he had regarding Yukina and this girl-hanyou's similar circumstances was an area of weakness for him that maybe he could root out by doing whatever it was he would eventually do regarding either of them. Besides, by his own code of scant honor, he could not do less, and that was not an area he would ever question. He knew it was right that he do so, thus it was enough.

And he'd had enough right now of questioning himself. Let Kurama do that if he wanted to. Hiei was not one to care.

Jumping from his high perch, Hiei let the buoyant branch launch him across the troubled skies to the next. Using only his quick reflexes and light step to leap from treetop to treetop, he zig-zagged his way through the fitful lightning, delighting in the energetic game to avoid being struck and battling with the elements as the wind shrieked past him and the rain slathered him in icy blasts. He was back at their hillside cave all too soon, and eased himself inside the dry darkness with nary a whisper of sound to betray him.

Sitting back against the wall a few feet down from the sleeping kitsune, Hiei drew his knees up so he could rest his forearms on them and stare broodingly at the girl who lay across from him. Curled into her thick cloak, only the top of her tangled head and a bit of white skin was visible above the shapeless blanket. Like a child, she snored softly and slept deeply, an indication of her innocent---and foolish---trust in her surroundings.

Watching her like this, so soft and vulnerable, it was hard to reconcile the dark eddies that he had briefly touched within her mind. Ignore and deny them as she might, still they were there, deep black pools of an ancient bitterness and seething hatred that he recognized all too well, for they growled across the back of his own thoughts in the voice of the Dark Dragon who had come to symbolize them.

She, though, ignored those feelings and denied their existence until they boiled up over her thin control to loose themselves on those around her, as had happened just two days ago. That was rather pointless, for hate and rage could be used for one's own advantage, as he well knew. But she seemed somewhat afraid of those dark shadows that dwelt within her deepest thoughts, and determined to either quell or escape them.

That useless, inner battle she waged between those very real feelings and her baffling need to deny them should have disgusted him outright. But somehow, instead, it actually intrigued him, for it was as if she were made up of two completely different natures, each dueling within her for supremacy.

And perhaps that was why he found her so compelling, for if anyone knew that personal turmoil, it was he. And perhaps the fact that she did try to suppress her hatred and rage so thoroughly intrigued him, too, for it was so novel an idea, and he wondered what, in the end, would win. And maybe there was something there that could save her from eventually being consumed and devoured by that bitter rage and seething hatred, and maybe by helping her, he could learn it for himself.

_If_, that is, he actually wanted to be saved. Truthfully, he didn't know, and might not know until the moment when he did. And that he would leave for another time.

Closing his eyes, Hiei eventually slept as the storm continued to rage outside against the cold and lonely night.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: This is just a quick note, as I want to hurry up and post this up before I leave for the day. I want to thank everybody who has continued to read and review this story, you have just been so awesomely awesome I can't express how much it has meant to me. Thank you very very very much. Really. ~ Fate_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA! SEXUAL INUENDOS AND MOUTHY DEMONS OF THE IRISH KIND, OVERLY LONG SENTENCES AND SCENES JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT AND SPLITTING THIS UP JUST DROVE ME NUTS o.O

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

Ducking outside the grey darkness of the cave's interior, Sango raised a hand to shield her eyes from the gleaming pink light of early morning. She spied Jin on the edge of the hill, his back to her as he stretched his arms out and inhaled deeply. The sky was a rose that paled into salmon in the distance, where the hidden sun did not yet enflame the color with its rays. The air was clean and sweet, with a touch of dampness in its chilly breath.

"Ah, but this be a glorious morning to start your training, isn't it just, Lily?" Crossing his arms behind his head, Jin cocked a blue eye back at her. The sharp tip of his small white horn glittered slightly in the shaggy flames of his bright red hair.

Sango nodded, uncertain what else to say. It _was_ a glorious morning, but she was filled with nervous anticipation. She didn't know what Jin had in mind, and he was so unpredictable she couldn't even begin to guess. She was anxious to learn all she could, and eager to get started.

"Feel the air. Just breathe it in." Jin demonstrated with a hearty inhale, his long ears wiggling as he bounced a good two feet off the ground to wiggle his toes as well. The wind rushed up around his feet as he summoned it to him. The swirling eddies fluttered the white fabric of his hakama and caused his crossed sashes to dance along his sculpted chest.

"Should I get breakfast?" Sango asked tentatively, but Jin only shook his head.

"Food'll only weigh you down, lass. Besides, who needs food when the wind can give you all the energy you need, eh?" He spun in midair, coming to rest back down on the ground now facing her.

Startled by the idea, Sango blinked.

Leaning forward, Jin closed one blue eye to peer at her with the other. "You'll not be knowing much of anything at all then, eh, lass?"

Feeling like a fool, Sango shrugged. "I've not had the need---before." _'Before I found out just what my rejected energy was costing both me and others. It seems I have a lot to learn.'_

That thought was rather humbling.

"Well, then, it's not too early to start." Jin grinned. Dropping his arms from behind his head to prop his knuckles on his hips, he said, "We'll begin with breathing. You do be knowing how to breathe, Lily?"

Sango could only stare as he burst out laughing at his own bad joke. This was going to be a long day.

Laughter abruptly dying, Jin's dancing blue eyes narrowed as he assumed a surprisingly serious expression for such an animated face. "What are you waiting for? Didn't I just tell you to breathe?"

Caught off-guard by the sudden change, Sango straightened and did as he demanded, inhaling lightly, pausing a moment, and then releasing her breath as she had been taught by her father so long ago.

"Deeper, lass," Jin chided lightly, coming to stand beside her to demonstrate. "Fill your belly with all the air it can do hold, and then take another wee little sip to top it off."

Sango did as instructed, holding all the breath she could, and then taking an extra gasp. She jumped as she felt Jin's hand come to rest on her belly, releasing all of the air in her lungs in a startled whoosh.

Shaking his head, Jin scolded, "You canna be so jumpy, lass. Come, now, concentrate. Inhale---sip---hold for two---and now…release…"

One hand lightly resting on the small of her back, his other palm warm on her flat stomach, he pressed lightly as she released her breath, directing all the held air to escape her lungs to the point where it almost burned. He had her repeat the exercise, again and again, until Sango almost felt light-headed.

"Can you no feel the air right down to your toes?" Jin demanded, glancing at her feet. He frowned. "Ah. Now those'll have to come off."

Glancing down at her boots, Sango blinked.

"Can't feel the wind move under you while wearing those now." Jin wiggled his toes, bouncing up into a casual sitting position as small swirl of wind formed to support him.

"And while you're at it, lass, you can remove those wee sticks you're so fond of." He pointed at her belts and sword, which she had donned upon waking. Sango frowned, but did as he asked. Reluctantly laying her sword atop her abandoned boots and knife-belts, she bit her lip. She felt naked without her weapons, and shrugged uneasily, missing their reassuring weight at her side.

"You depend too much on them, Lily," Jin said, not unkindly. "If you're to learn the wind, you must learn to depend on it and _only_ it to be helping ya."

She nodded. Such was the way of any weapon. And this was more than a weapon, this was learning how she, herself, now was.

"Okay. I'm ready."

"Not quite." He twitted the end of her long braid. "You'd best take that out, Lily. It's no help. It'll be undone in the first hard blow."

Startled, Sango touched her hair. "I can pin it up---"

"Suit yourself. You'll be seeing it soon enough." Jin shrugged, indifferent.

With a wry expression, Sango pulled the elastic band out of her hair and combed her fingers through the twined length. She hated having her hair hanging free to fly into her face so she bound it back up into a high ponytail. It might not do any good---not from Jin's sardonic expression---but she could at least try.

"'Nuff time-wasting." Jin suddenly grinned at her. "You know how to add wind to your step? Then down the hill we go, and race you to the bottom!"

He was off like a shot, raising a trail of dust in his wake that had Sango coughing. Blinking the grit out of her eyes, she took a blind step forward, and then gasped as she felt broad hands tightening around her waist.

"Too slow!" Jin shouted in her ear as he lifted her up off the ground, zooming up into the sky like a rocket. Sango yelped as she felt the earth drop away beneath her, and convulsively clutched at his upper arms as they shot upward, the wind of their passage thundering in her ears and flattening her hair to her head. Her legs dangled uselessly, dragged along until she forced them up by main will alone to cross her ankles behind his knees.

"Hang on tight now!" Jin warned her and Sango tensed as she felt the muscles of his arms bunch under her grip. Slipping her hands around his back, she grabbed her left wrist and hung on for dear life as he let go of her waist and swung his arms wide like the wings of a bird. He slid into a wide arc that left her dry-mouthed as she buried her head against his chest. A laugh bubbled out of him, and she blanched as he did a series of swooping wingovers that left her stomach somewhere in her feet and her sanity somewhere back on earth.

"Isn't this yet the best, Lily?" Jin gaily shouted as he flipped sideways, rolling over and over as she desperately hung on and silently cursed the fickle fates who had left her training in the hands of a madman.

Flopping over on his back, Jin crossed his arms behind his head and sighed in dreamy bliss as he lazily floated along on a gentle breeze some hundred or more feet off the ground. Sango tensed, waiting for him to flop back over or do something equally crazy, but when he didn't, she cautiously opened her eyes to find him grinning up at her, a twinkle his azure gaze.

Discomfited by how she was huddled against the apparition, Sango unknotted her arms and legs and straightened up into a sitting position. Unconsciously scooting up along his prone body, she assumed the pose she had always used when riding Kirara. Wrapping her thighs tight around his, her knees lightly touching the narrow waist just below his ribs, she used the flat of her palms against his wide chest to steady her seat. Unaware of just how intimately she was positioned against him, she leaned over to glance down at the earth far below. The trees looked much smaller than they actually were from this height.

Flushing slightly, Jin coughed. "I take it you're no scared of heights, then?"

"No." Sango blushed, recalling her reaction when he first grabbed her and leapt into the sky. "You just took me by surprise, is all."

Jin stirred uncomfortably as her bottom nestled against him, unconsciously seeking a better position. His voice was a little strained as he distractedly asked, "Ye've flown before?"

"I---knew a nekomata. She was---a friend." Sango looked away. Kirara had been so much more than a friend. Mother, playmate, confidante and guardian since her earliest childhood memories, the nekomata had been everything to her. Kirara had been there, even through the terrible tragedy that had befallen her family and village, and Kirara's faith in poor Kohaku had never been shaken. Her loss was the one Sango felt most keenly, for she had lost not only her beloved houshi but the sister of her heart on that awful day when Naraku…

"Ah, so you'll no mind if I were to do _this_." Jin interrupted her thoughts by suddenly somersaulting in mid-air. Unprepared, Sango shrieked as she felt her hands fly wide and their positions abruptly reverse, so that he was now floating along face-down and she was dangling like so much dead weight below him. Only her legs kept her from falling to her death.

Thighs clamped around his waist, she tried to cross her ankles, but Jin deliberately wiggled his hips. Cheeks flaming, Sango abruptly became aware of just how intimately she was pressed against him, and in exactly what way. Another wiggle and her thighs automatically loosened. A third, and he was sailing free as she plummeted like a stone, her eyes widening in shock as he called out, "Now, lass, create the wind that'll hold you up! You can do it! Just reach in and hurl it out like a spear for you to grip on to!"

Desperately trying to unscramble her brain---which was screaming at her that she was falling and falling _fast_---Sango closed her eyes and reached deep inside herself, pulling the jyaki to her and sending it outwards in a focused point just as he instructed. But something was wrong---for even as the wind burst out of her in a gust of driven force, it was dissipating even as she desperately reached for it.

"_Concentrate_, lass!" Jin shouted at her, impatient as he swooped beneath her and back up around the other side in a wide circle so as not to have his winds disrupt hers.

Cursing her own fumbling, Sango reached deeper, again calling up her energy and rocketing it out of her. But again, the wind disappeared even as she desperately reached after it, and she had the horrible realization that she couldn't do what he wanted. She couldn't create the wind---she didn't have enough power. And she realized with a sick sensation that _Kagura_ had never really had that power, either. The wind sorceress had always used her fan to create the winds she controlled; she had never created them herself.

For a second, Sango felt her heart freeze, and she had the sudden sensation that she was falling faster than ever to the unforgiving earth below. Her mind screamed at her to _do something_, and she desperately racked her brain for anything. If she couldn't create the wind, than she could at least see it (or the jyaki that existed within it, here in Makai) and use it…and wind was all around her. Not the gusts that battered her falling body---those were useless, but there were air streams and cross-currents and---_there!_

Reaching out, she hooked onto it, her hands closing around the invisible gust that blew perpendicular to her headlong dive. Her heart leapt into her mouth as her head snapped back from the forceful change in direction, and she almost sobbed in relief as she tightened her grip on that saving breath of air.

Brow knit and expression troubled, Jin was suddenly there, beside her. "Grab hold my tailwind, Lily, we're going back down. I'll align myself to yours, hold now."

He zoomed ahead of her, and Sango felt the battering protest as his winds whipped across her own. She concentrated, sweat beading out across her brow, and saw the strong fuchsia-fueled strength of the main wind he had created. For a moment, the natural wind she dangled from merged with his, and when it again separated, she was hanging off of his wind-trail. She felt useless, dangling like that, but she had to concentrate, for his wind was different, more slippery than the natural wind that had saved her. It changed direction as he arched back down toward the ground, though he gentled it as much as he could as he called other winds up to slow their forward motion as they neared the lily meadow where she had first met him. Unprepared for the landing, Sango tumbled head over heels as her ass flew up over her head and she landed hard on her back with an "Umph!" of escaped air.

She lay there for a long minute, thankful to be back on the solid ground and trying to catch her lost breath. A concerned pair of wide blue eyes and shaggy red hair filled her dazed vision, and Jin said, "That there was a mean knocker, eh? But not bad for your first landing, lass, not bad a'tall. You'll be all right?"

Sango gingerly nodded, smiling weakly to reassure him.

"Well, then." Casually waving his hand, Sango abruptly found herself pushed back up on her feet by the strong gust of wind he had summoned to do just that. Rather discomfited by his casual mastery of what she could not manage, Sango frowned unhappily.

"So. You canna create the wind." Propping his chin on his thumb, Jin drummed two fingers against his pursed lips. "That be a right pity, but nothing we can't work round, yes?"

"Can we?" Sango asked, troubled. "I didn't think about it---Kagura always used a fan to control the winds."

"Kagura?" Jin pinned her with a questioning look and Sango bit her lip.

"I'm not a real demon, Jin." She had never had to explain it to anyone, no one had ever asked, and she stirred uncomfortably under his sharp gaze. He suddenly reminded her of Yusuke with that piercing look, as if he could peel back the layers and see right into her heart. It was not a comfortable thought.

"I had a heart transplant." Her fingers lightly touched her chest, where her heart pounded uncommonly loud in her ears, before she turned the jerky motion into a sweep through her tangled ponytail, feeling entirely too self-conscious for someone normally as possessed as she. "It was the heart of a wind demon. Kagura. But she wasn't a real demon, either. She was an incarnation, and somehow her heart was kept alive outside of her, and, well, anyway, after she died, I found it and…well…"

"That's no a common thing." Jin's eyes narrowed. "And something not easy to go through. It'd not be like a human to be that desperate."

"I had my reasons." Sango's voice hardened. She didn't have to explain her choices to anyone.

"I've no doubt." Jin closed his eyes and sighed gustily. "Ah, you be as prickly as a rose, Lily, that I'm of half a mind to change me name for you."

Sango blinked. She tended to do a lot of that around the vicarious wind demon.

"But I likes Lily better." He suddenly grinned at her. "It certainly fits better than this Anei business. Though I've yet to see you flitting around in the shadows for which you're named, so I'll not pass me final judgment on that just yet."

Crossing his arms behind his head, he lightly bounced into his favorite Indian-style position a foot or two above the lilies they stood among. "So, Lily, why don't you be telling me what you know of this incarnation and what she used, eh? And maybe a bit of what it is you know how to use yourself, so I don't be pushing you in things you shouldn't."

Sango told him all she knew, explaining Kagura's attacks and how she had used her fan to summon them. She frankly admitted her own fault in not accepting herself for what she had become in the wake of her demon heart transplant, and did not flinch away from being brutally honest with its effect on others over the long years. There was a gentleness to Jin's blue eyes that made her admit more than she would ever have thought she could, and she unburdened not only her past (though not of Naraku, that was a secret he did not need to know,) but also her troubled spirit, finally winding up with how Hiei had taught her to feel her energy and Kurama had taught her to see it for what it was and accept it.

Jin was silent for a long time, and Sango stirred uneasily, regretting her honesty and feeling rather subdued by his lack of response. But he cocked his head at her and said rather lightly, "Well, that be a muddle, and no lie, lass. You've been through more than I think anyone knows, and there's more you won't tell me, or anyone else, I'm thinking. But I know's now what I needs to know, and that there's good enough for now. Because while this break's been nice and sweet here in this lovely meadow, giving us both time to recover our strength and energy, I'm now thinking about what time's been wasted, and anxious I am to now be about and doing."

He smiled at her, and Sango said softly, "Thank you, Jin."

"Ah, no need to be doing all that now, lass." He flushed, uncomfortable with the gratitude in her brown eyes. His smile turned wicked. "And I don't know if you'll be thanking me so much after all this be done, for now that I know what it is you might be capable of, it's high time to see what it is you can."

"Don't go easy on me," Sango said, struck by the sudden notion that he might. "I'm tougher than you think."

"I've no doubt." Jin nodded solemnly, a twinkle in his blue eyes. "Now, how fast can you move?"

That question at least prepared her for what came next. She barely jumped out of the way as he came after her with a neat roundhouse. What followed was predictable, though unconventional, as he chased her around the whole field, attacking her from every angle and any direction. Sango had to hustle to avoid him---he was nearly as fast as Yusuke, and definitely faster than her, though when he taught her how to better use the wind than she always had to help her speed, she was then able to use his own wind to her benefit.

Delighted that she had caught on so quickly to that trick, Jin rewarded her by taking it up a notch. Sango was put entirely on the defensive, and she could barely dodge as he turned the tables on her again and again, forcing her to work harder than she ever had before. Sweat poured down her body as her chest burned with the harsh breaths she was forced to take. Her arms and legs felt like jelly, but still the Shinobi pressed on and on as she retreated again and again. He seemed hardly bothered by the workout, that insane grin lighting up his sky-blue eyes as he snaked in from odd angles to attack her from above and below.

They left the field behind as Jin pressed her into the trees. Sango darted and dove, becoming utterly lost in the forest as she tried to keep away from the Shinobi's powerful attacks. He gave no quarter, and she felt herself tiring. It was only then that she finally tapped into that hidden reservoir of energy inside herself, and leapt clear at the last moment as his fist came out of left field to smash through the tree she had been standing in front of.

Suddenly buoyant with an energy she had not known existed, Sango's weariness fell away. Her startled expression made Jin laugh outright, and he slapped her on the back hard enough to make her stagger. "Now you're catching on to it, Lily!"

"You're teaching me how to figure it out on my own," Sango wondered allowed, and Jin gave her a cheeky grin.

"Best way for you to learn quickly is to but do it. Inventing's the son of necessary Or is it necessarily?"

"Necessity." Sango couldn't help but smile. "It's a human saying: Necessity is the mother of invention."

"Ah, well, the humans have it all bass-ackwards, they do. It's a demon saying, it is, and it's 'Invention's the child brought out of necessity.'" He frowned. "At least, I think that's it. Could be Necessary. Now, that's a question to keep a lad wondering for a good hour or two." His ears wiggled as he made a face, before abruptly bringing the subject back to her. "Ah, well, that's neither here nor there. Enough time's gone. Now that you've tapped your true energy, lass, I think it's time for ye to bounce."

"Bounce?" Sango felt a twinge of apprehension. She had no clue where Jin was going with this.

"Yes. Bounce. You know: leap, jump, soar, bound." Jin looked at her like she was daft.

"Oh." That didn't explain anything. She hoped he wasn't going to be attacking her again in order to make her "bounce."

"Up the tree, now, Lily!" Jin pointed at the huge tower they stood beside. "Best way to bounce is to use the trees themselves to boost ya."

"Oh! Like Inuyasha!" Sango smiled in sudden comprehension.

"Inu-who?" Jin asked, but she was already scrambling up the side of the tree, using the helpful moss that hung down like a thick net. When the moss ran out, there was a good vine or two to aid her, and by then she'd reached the lowest branches. Jin took the express elevator by shooting up alongside the tree with a blast of wind-driven propulsion.

The branches swayed and creaked as he passed, and Sango grabbed hold of the trunk as she nearly slipped off her branch. She scowled at his easy climb and doubled her efforts to reach the top. Remembering how Jin had used a burst of wind to shoot him straight up, she decided to test her own "puffs" of wind to help her go from branch to branch. Her first puff almost had her over-leaping the branch she aimed for, and she landed on her stomach with a loud "Oof!" as all the wind was knocked out of her by the sturdy limb she was draped so inelegantly over.

"Ow."

Jin's howl of laughter didn't help her embarrassed aggravation as she worked her arms and legs around the branch to get her back up on her feet. Clutching the tree's bole, she scowled.

"Oh, wee, you should've seen your face, lass!" Jin hooted. "Ah, but it wasn't that half a bad idea. Just focus, lass, and don't put so much effort into it---you're not wanting to leap off the whole tree, just bounce!"

"Bounce." Sango's grimace turned it into a curse as she rubbed her poor belly and eyed the next branch, which was further than the first. This time she took the time to carefully gauge the distance and how much probable force she might need, and when she released her energy, she started smiling in giddy triumph as her bare feet touched the rough bark of the sturdy-looking limb.

Which then dipped under her weight, sending her sliding right over the other side as the last of her wind pushed her over it. Arms wildly wind-milling for balance, Sango shrieked as she fell over the other side.

To groan as that lower evil branch saved her life by knocking her right in the stomach again. She hung there limp for a moment, wondering just why it was she had signed up for all this.

"Come on, lass, hurry it up! Ye can't hang around there all the day!" Jin burst into laughter at his own terrible joke, wiping tears from his eyes as she sighed.

He scooted around the tall tree in a dizzying spiral as he called out encouragement. "Try it again, Lily! You'll only get the hang of it with practice, and that means practicing it, which means doing it, so come on, now, let's see you try it once more."

Clambering back up to her feet was harder this time, but Sango was nothing if not stubborn. She wondered how many bruises she was going to have by the end of his, and winced as she took too deep a breath to steady herself. Centering her energy, she glared at the innocent branch above her and drew on her jyaki…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

SLAM!

Sango's moan turned into a sharp hiss as she started sliding down the tree's trunk. The rough bark scraped across her abraded cheek, and she jerked her head back even as the stars continued to circle behind her lids. Her hands convulsively tightened, stopping her slow descent even as her fingertips screamed at the abuse as she dug her bleeding palms into the scratchy wood.

"Hn."

She tensed at the familiar sound, willing the fire demon to go away. Gods, this was humiliating enough without having an audience.

"Like Kurama, girl, you think too much."

Her eyes flew open and she stared up at him, squinting through the solid black eye that flowered around the right. He was perched, cool as cucumber, on the very branch she had been aiming for. The smirk in his red eyes was just as mortifying as she had pictured it in her head.

She closed her eyes again.

"It shouldn't be this hard for you to do something so simple."

Gods, he was insufferable.

"Go 'way." Holy crap, her thighs hurt. Thank God she was wearing jeans, or her legs would have been as torn up as her arms. Her poor feet were bad enough. Jin was a sadistic tyrant. He didn't let up, constantly chivying her to keep trying no matter how many times she missed. Perhaps, if he had given her more time to gauge the distance between the damn trees, or assess if the damn branches could hold her weight and not sway right out from under her ungraceful sprawls across them---

"Use your instincts, fool." The bite in Hiei's mocking voice made her want to hit him. Jerk. What was he doing here anyway? She thought the three demons had cleared off this morning so Jin could have fun torturing her in private.

And as for instincts---_what_ instincts? What possible instincts could she possibly draw on to jump from one stinking tree to another? She wasn't born a demon like he or Inuyasha, she had been _made_ one, and damn it, a human didn't go about bouncing from tree to tree like a some deranged monkey or even more deranged fire apparition.

"You really are a simple child."

_'And you're a jerk.' _Ignoring him, she tried wiggling her body around the tree's trunk so she could stretch a toe out to the thick branch that thrust out just beyond an easy reach.

She suddenly tensed, feeling the tree sway slightly from his launching himself off of it. She had only a single moment to widen her eyes before she suddenly felt his body along hers as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled with all his might.

She let out a hoarse cry as the solid tree fell away from her. He was gone, jumping clear as she dropped like a stone. She didn't even have time to think before she tucked herself into an inelegant dive, forcing her energy out in a short burst of wind to propel her a good two feet to the nearest branch. Grabbing hold, she could feel it bending beneath her weight. Reflexively lightening her body's mass, she swung her legs around in a gymnastic flip that brought her up and over that same branch to stand crouched in a defensive scowl as she looked around for that red-eyed bastard who had so conveniently disappeared.

"What are you lazying about for, Lily?" Jin was suddenly there, arms folded and blue eyes glaring. "I'd not told you to go down, but up. Get on with it. I haven't all the day."

Sango was ready to kill all demons. Eyes flashing, she used that burst of anger to leap for the next branch---the one she had first been aiming for before she smacked face-first into the damn trunk. This time, she didn't give herself time to think about it, and she landed with a neat crouch, launching herself for the next even as her feet touched the first. She staggered slightly on the branch Hiei had been on, but that reminder fueled her next leap, which brought her up to the top, which she clutched in dizzy triumph.

Jin beamed, launching himself into a swooping circle around her. "That's the way of it, lass! See? I knew you'd get the hang o' it!"

Wiping her sweaty forehead, Sango offered him a weak smile. Damn, she hated the fact that little red-eyed bastard was right. She _had_ been over-thinking, instead of just letting her body do what it had already been trained to do.

"Come now, Lily! You still have six more to go to the forest's edge. Let's bounce!" Jin landed on a branch just long enough to launch himself across the twenty feet that separated the two trees from each other. Sighing, Sango followed suit, adding two bursts of her wind to get her over the same space that he had only used one. This time, she landed with far more grace, and was up and off to the next tree without first thinking about it. Perhaps she had gotten the hang of it. Elation filled her as she made the next four jumps with none of the problems she had had before, and she leapt to the last one with a grin, delighted in the way the air whistled around her as she body arced up high and then swung back down so fast.

Too fast. _'Damn!'_

She made a grab for the tree, arms protesting as she slammed into the prickly needles of the tall pine as it bent almost into a sideways L as her body was hurled over it, completely flipping over so that she now hung by her bare hands over her head, the bent tree behind her.

Crap.

She hung on for dear life, praying that her arms would hold her even as they screamed in protest and shook from the strain. She ruthlessly dug for that pool of elemental energy that she had discovered inside herself just that morning, and realized in shock that it was almost gone. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to think, damn it, and nothing came. _'Damn it! I can't just hang around here all day.'_

There was a gusty sigh beside her, and Jin shook his head as she glanced over at him. Lying on his side beside her, the wind demon breezily floated, his head propped up on one fist as he wagged a finger at her with the other. "Now, lass, if your own energy's all used up, wouldn't it be occurring to you that there's more about that you can? The very air's full of jyaki, and it's all around you. I shouldn't have to tell you that."

"Why not?" she demanded.

"Cause you're thinking too much like a human and not enough like a demon, who'd take it for granted."

"I am a human. Or was!" Sango protested, arms screaming.

"Well, you're not now, so quit acting like it," Jin scolded, though his blue eyes were compassionate for her struggle to understand. He suddenly smiled. "And since you have enough energy to sass at me, than that tells me you'll have enough energy to get yourself down, no?"

He was off, leaving Sango to stare after the disappearing speck of him even as she

sighed. Damn him, he was right. She had been in much worse circumstances than this, and with much less energy to draw on. Forcing her tired body to obey her commands, she buoyed her dwindling jyaki with what existed around her, drawing it in like a siphon, though it was harder to tap than she had expected. It did restore her enough so that she could finally descend. Lighting her body weight to a mere fraction of what it was, she fell like a feather from branch to branch, until she finally fell on the grass in an untidy sprawl.

"He's really kicking your ass, isn't he?"

Sango forced her eyes open. She shouldn't have been as surprised as she was to see the Spirit Detective sitting there with a lop-sided grin on his face. Damn demons were everywhere.

"I can manage," she growled, heaving herself back up to her feet.

"Probably." Yusuke grinned at her. "Nice black eye, by the way."

"Thanks." Her voice was dry as she put her knuckles on her lower spine and stretched. Several vertebrae popped. At least the soreness and bruises would be healed in a few hours. Ugh. She felt like she'd been hit by a bus, and the day wasn't even over yet. Jin probably had a whole new set of tortures he was just dying to put her through.

Speaking of which---she whipped around to face the Wind Master, who was standing in the shadows behind her. He gave her a toothy grin, fangs glinting at he emerged from beneath the tree and out into the rosy daylight.

"Well, I see you made it down all right. I think that's enough leaping about for now. How about I show you some attacks?"

Curiosity piqued, Sango felt her exhaustion drain away. "Really?"

"Wow, I should really be disturbed by just how eager you suddenly are." Yusuke smirked, getting to his feet. "Don't mind if I stick around, do you, Jin? I wanna see this."

"Don't mind at all, Urameshi, and that's no lie. You can tell me if her aim's off."

Sango didn't particularly like having an audience, especially a smart ass like Yusuke, but she wasn't going to fuss about it, especially when Jin added with a sly grin, "We can use you for target practice."

"Wait---what?" Yusuke stopped in his tracks with a scowl.

"What, are you afraid of a few gentle little breezes, Urameshi? Or have you lost that nice speed of yours while you've been lazying about since the Dark Tournament?"

"Heh." Yusuke grunted, borrowing one of Kurama's pet phrases but putting a lot more smirk into it. "See if you can even catch me, you old blowhard!"

"Now there's more the spirit!" Jin threw Sango a wink. "I thought you were getting a bit soft in your old age, Urameshi."

"Soft? Me? Ha!" Yusuke grinned wickedly. "Just wait until you feel my fist along your face, Jin---you'll see how soft it is!"

He swung and Jin ducked, laughing as he threw a good left of his own and Yusuke barely turned aside to avoid it. They continued to bait and bicker and dodge each other's half-hearted punches as Sango trailed after the crazy pair. She shook her head over how they could insult each other so badly that it made the other crack up in a fit of laughter even as they tried to top the other's lame threats.

They finally came to wherever it was Jin was leading them, and she surveyed the sloping valley with an eye for the dead trees that stood like short, grey sentinels here and there. Grass had sprung up among the razed timber, for the area had not been made naturally, but was the result of a forest fire some time in the past.

"I think this'll do nicely, no? Plenty of room and nothing much to tear up." Jin bounced to the middle of the oblong field, landing on a pointy grey trunk to scout around with a smile.

"This place will work as good as any other for me to kick your ass." Yusuke shrugged.

"Ah, but you forget, Urameshi, much as I'd like that and have no doubt, we're here to show Anei a thing or two, no?" Jin wagged an admonishing finger at the Mazoku, who grinned.

"Ah, well, any other time will work, too, I guess." Scuffing the grass with his bare feet, Yusuke dropped his hands in his pockets. "So where you want me, windy?"

"Ah, that there'll do fine, lad. I'm thinking to show Anei what it is that _I_ be doing with the wind. Why don't you sit your pretty self down, lass, and I can show you my famous Tornado Fist." Jin flexed his arms, much to Sango's amusement. She'd never seen so much posturing as those two were good at. Willing to let them, and curious to see what Jin could do, she settled herself under the shade and watched as Jin called up his energy.

"Ah, you would start with that crap." Yusuke rolled his eyes. "You gotta get some better moves, Mr. Windy-Pants."

Jin only smiled, ignoring the ex-detective to explain, "Now, Lily, I start up the wind with a roll of my arm, see here? Feed my energy into it, keep it rolling, and see how the wind starts spinning round it? Ain't it a thing o' beauty? I invented it meself, you know."

Yusuke made some crack about how he should have known that weak-ass move was one only Jin could come up with, but Sango was surprised by the focused turbulence that surrounded the youkai's extended wrist. A literal tornado had formed around the wind apparition's lower arm, from elbow to just past his fist. The whipping wind was strong enough that it was pulling even her ponytail over her shoulder, and bits of leaves and grass were torn up in its swirling eddies.

"Now, I'll show you what it can do, and if Yususke will just stand there and oblige me, I'll knock him right into next week." Jin was off like a shot, spinning fist aimed straight for the smirking detective.

"Like hell!" Yusuke dodged at the last minute, easily avoiding the demon's fist. Jin's blow landed on the ground, drilling into the earth a good foot or two and churning up grass and dirt and rocks in a wide circle around it. Yanking his hand back out, Jin leapt again for the Mazoku, who dodged and taunted, staying a step or two ahead of the chasing wind demon as they raced around the field like two little boys playing tag.

Two rather dangerous little boys, for the field looked pretty pathetic once they got through with it. Jin's Tornado Fist had managed to destroy most of the dead trees and had carved several good-sized holes out of the sloping ground by the time they finished the impromptu game. Hardly winded by the exercise, the two of them slapped each other on the back and declared a truce as they climbed back up to where Sango had sat and watched the show.

"Ah, that was fun, and I'd like nothing more than to chase you all day, Urameshi, but we should see what it is the wee lass can do, yes?"

Expression growing measuring, Yusuke looked at Sango, who met his brown eyes squarely. He smiled. "I don't think she'll have the same strength of arm that you do, Jin, to pull off your signature windy-punch."

"Aye," Jin agreed, studying her critically. Sango frowned. "Much as she's got a good muscle on that arm, she's still a wee bit of a thing, and don't be forgetting she's just a girl."

"What has that to do with anything?" Sango demanded, brows coming down. There was nothing that could rile her up faster than to be denied something just because of her sex.

The two demons exchanged a grin just before Jin propped his arms behind his head and said oh-so-innocently, "Ah, don't be cross, Lily. Much as I'd like to see you all hot and bothered---and on account of _me_, no less---we were just agreeing that you probably don't have the strength to do just what it is that I do with the tornado wind and all. I think you'd be better at the wind blades, or even making something you can go and toss about."

"Wind blades?" Intrigued by the idea, Sango flexed her fingers, missing her knives and wondering if that was what he meant and how she could do such a thing with something as ephemeral as the wind. But then, come to think of it, Kagura had had that move.

She said so, though she cautioned him that Kagura had always used her fan to help create her Dance of Blades, and wondered if she could even hold something for longer than the few seconds her "puffs" of energy had allowed her when trying to fly and bounce, as Jin had so succinctly put it.

Jin smiled. "Ah, but there's one wee difference. It's a short burst of energy that you'll need to start with. Tie it to the wind around you, and it will feed on itself."

Sango's brow knit in confusion. "Tie it to the wind?"

"Think of it this way, lass." Jin sat down beside her and brought up his hands. Lightly circling one finger above his open hand, he formed a small tornado in the cup of his palm. He held it there for a minute, than brought it up to his mouth and blew lightly. It grew larger. "See how it grows with just my breath? That's how something ye form can feed on itself."

"So I should breathe---"

"Hold now, Lily, I'm not done." Jin's blue eyes twinkled at her impatience. "Now, you don't have the energy in you, being a half-demon, to sustain your wind. You can create but a short burst of energy or force, yes? Which goes like this…" He let the small tornado go; it immediately dissipated. Starting another one, he said, "But if you toss it, like this, you'll see that it creates its own wind just by moving, no? And it will last longer."

He made a throwing motion, and the small, spinning tornado arched up for some few feet before finally dissolving in a whispering breeze. "Now---with practice, mind---you can put more force behind it, and add more of your energy to give it strength and distance." He demonstrated with a third tornado, the muscles cording along his arm before he let it go. Yusuke whistled in appreciation as it whizzed out across the field, growing bigger by its passage until it finally hit the ground with a muffled blast.

Standing up to better catch its descent, Sango's mouth fell open.

"Why the hell didn't you use one of those wind-bombs back in the Dark Tournament, you damn hold-out?" Yusuke punched Jin in the shoulder in surprise.

"Ah, well, Urameshi," Jin blushed, rubbing a hand through his shaggy red hair, "they're not so good for getting in close enough to your opponent so as to know if _you_ were the one who felled him or not. I like to feel my own punch land, you know? That way you can tell if it was a good solid knock or not, yes?"

"You crazy bugger!" Yusuke grinned, completely understanding. He usually kept his Spirit Gun as a last resort just because he _liked_ using his fists. It was a whole hell of a lot more fun that way.

"Ah, if anyone would be the one to understand, it's you, lad." They both turned in surprise as they felt a fresh wind whip past them.

Eyes closed and turned slightly to her right, Sango again drew her arms past her in a half-circle, gathering the jyaki in the air up to then send it arching out across the field. It spread like a wide wave, gathering strength as it swept over the grass, finally spending itself on the trees along the far side, who bent and groaned restlessly in its wake.

Delighted, Jin leapt to her side. "Ah, so you do know how to throw your wind out. And do you see how it gathers strength and creates more wind just by its passing? And you already know how to tie the first wee burst to the second, without even so much as me having to explain it---do it again and you'll but see it for yourself!"

Frowning, Sango swept her arms out again, this time concentrating on the jyaki that existed in the air she sent curling away from her. She saw how the energy funneled right out of the palms of her hands, which tingled with her heightened awareness. It then swept out beyond, gathering more jyaki from the very air of its passage before it spent itself against the far trees. She wasn't certain how it twined together---perhaps it was the way she bent her hands and curled it out. She tried a few times, just to get the feel of it, and when she laid her hands flat, the air just dissipated, so that had to be it.

Jin sat back, a smirk on his face, letting her work it out on her own as he had done with everything, really. His teaching manner was a far cry from her father's, who had broken each and every move down into its separate and distinct parts and then had her practice each until the motions became automatic. This was rougher, and she had to work harder, but it would also allow her to practice on her own, without Jin's supervision. And perhaps that was entirely the point.

"Now ye see how to make the energy flow," Jin jumped down from his airy seat and stalked over to her side, "I want you to try to contain it within your very palm." He pulled her right hand up, lightly cupping it in his as his other finger made a swirling motion in the middle of her palm. Sango watched, fascinated, as one of his small tornados formed, tickling across her skin. "Take it over, lass, and feed your energy into it."

She did, delighted as it grew slightly larger. But that wasn't the point of the exercise, rather it was to keep the small tornado steady, and channeling her energy at a constant restraint required a lot more concentration and hard work than she expected. Sweat beaded her brow as she focused on keeping it going. Her arm started trembling, but she ruthlessly stilled it, bringing her iron will to bear as her eyes narrowed and her jaw firmed.

"Stubborn, ain't she?" Yusuke grinned at Jin, who smiled distractedly. He let her keep the tornado going for a minute more, until she found the correct balance between directing her energy and keeping the flow sure and steady, then touched her wrist lightly to gain her attention.

Sango blinked, and he winked at her. "Now that you've got the rhythm of it, lass, I want you to toss it out like you be doing with the breeze."

Biting her lip, Sango turned just enough so that the little tornado's winds could twine with the jyaki in the air of its passage, and watched with exhilaration as it arched across the field, landing not far from Jin's tornado-hole and carving a small hole of its own.

Yusuke whistled, rather impressed. "Damn, that's pretty good for your first try!"

"Isn't it just?" Jin beamed, more than smug with his student's quick aptitude. He patted her lightly on the shoulder to show his approval, but got straight back to business, cautioning her, "Now comes the hard part. Making your own wee tornado."

Making her own tornado proved to be beyond her ability, and Sango grew frustrated as her spinning finger did little more than tug at nearby breezes and swirl them around her. But that actually gave her an idea, one she proposed to the wind demon, who looked surprised and rather intrigued by the notion.

"Well, now that's not half-bad," he murmured thoughtfully, and Yusuke, who had grown restless with nothing much happening, snorted.

"Ah, just fucking try it. Can't hurt," he growled, crossing his arms and waiting impatiently for them to just get on with it.

Jin grinned. "Well, if it ain't the truth than we'll find the lie of it sooner than later, eh? So, lass, let's see if what you think will help."

Sango nodded absentmindedly, biting her lip as she thought of what movements she could use that might work best. There were certain hand-to-hand defensive maneuvers she had learned over the centuries that were a rough rudimentary of modern tai chi, and that might help. Relaxing and grounding herself, she brought her hands up, waving them around each other in a poetic dance that was actually nothing of the sort, for the muscles along her bare arms stood out as she held the tension within, feeding her jyaki into the air she was pulling in around her by the simple motions.

Right over left, left over right, slightly angled---tighter on the second go, even tighter on the third---and suddenly it was there, a ball of spinning wind that was like and yet unlike Jin's miniature tornados, for it spun every which way and whirled on a constantly changing axis. She tried feeding her energy into it, trying to keep it alive like she had Jin's tornado, but the edges were already starting to slither away into errant little wisps of breezes.

"You'll not be able to keep that one up, it's too unstable, lass, so best to let it go, and right quick. It'll do the trick well enough, though, for what you'll be using it for." Jin grinned, pleased with her accomplishment.

Sango did as he instructed, throwing the small, wind-laced ball with all her might. It soared up, growing slightly larger as it fed on the wind of its passage, and then gouged a respectable, if small, sized hole in the ground as it landed. Clods of earth flew out from the spinning impact, and the grass was tossed back a good three feet in a mad circle around it.

"Now that's a nice blow job." Yusuke smirked, particularly pleased with that clever double entendre.

Sango didn't find it that funny, but Jin certainly did.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

After several attempts at her "wind-balls"---a name Yusuke had coined and one Sango was determined to replace, and the sooner the better---Jin called a halt and had her practicing simple sweeps of the air. He had her focus on strengthening the outer edge of each until they resembled Kagura's Wind Blades, after a fashion. The move was awkward, though simple. Throwing her weight and jyaki behind her dominant arm, she swept it from behind her in a half-circle motion, fingers spread and palm down. The half-circle of wind that formed behind the motion then swept out while she concentrated on reinforcing the jyaki of the outer edge until it became as keen as a tornado's wind, which had the force to drive a piece of straw right through the middle of a tree.

Knowing what she had to do and _doing_ it was proving rather difficult. She was tired, not just physically, but mentally, and she could feel her reserves stretching to the point where she was ready to fall flat on her face. She ignored the weariness, sinking into that dangerous place where one felt no pain, and pressed on, determined to succeed. It was only when Jin noticed that her hands were shaking, something she hadn't even felt, that he called a halt to the exercise.

"Enough, lass. Ye'll no be learning everything in the passing of a single day. What's important is that you now know what is you can do and what it is you'll need to do. Only practice will give ya more, and there's plenty o' time for that. Now, I say it's high a'time we call it quits." Jin smiled at her frown. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he gave her a light squeeze in understanding. Sango was too tired to shrug him off, and was by now so used to the wind apparition's grabby habits that she didn't even half-notice as he bumped his hip against hers and turned his grin on Yusuke, who was rubbing his bare stomach as he yawned.

"Lord knows I'm hungry enough to eat a bear---even a demon one." Yusuke grimaced, running his fingers through his black hair. "Have I mentioned, Jin, that I really hate camping? Living rough sucks, and I'm starting to think demon world is one damn big park."

Dropping his arm from around her shoulders to jab Sango in the ribs with an elbow, Jin laughed. "Ah, Urameshi, you've yet to see the best part of Makai. We've a few cities here and there, with any and all the amenities you ever could wish it for. I just didn't know you were so soft, lad."

"Soft?" Yusuke rounded on the demon. "I'll show you soft, you breezy bastard!"

He swung, and Jin ducked away, laughing. Yusuke pounced, and it was Jin's turn to send a fist flying. Somehow, their ridiculous antics carried them back the way they had come, and Sango followed with a tired smile and shake of her head as the two fighters kept disappearing and reappearing among the trees in front of her path. She felt weariness settling across her tight shoulders, and her feet felt heavy as she finally trudged that last bit up the hill to their deserted campsite, leaving Jin and Yusuke back among the trees.

Well, relatively deserted. For even as she forced her feet up that last bit, one hand steadying her against a convenient rock that thrust out at the right height for her to grip onto and lean against, she heard a familiar snippy demon making a cutting remark at her.

"How pathetic. Beaten by your own element."

Beaten was right---she could just imagine what she looked like, black eye and bruised head to toe, with enough scratches and cuts across bare skin to make it look like a spider web. The fat lip probably didn't add much charm, either. That obnoxious little bastard didn't have to bother pointing it out though, damn him. Bad enough he had basically tossed her bodily out of a tree today. But she was too damn tired to even summon half a glare to scowl up at him, so she chose to be the bigger person, and just ignore him.

Her belts and boots were laid neatly beside her folded cloak just to one side of the cave's entrance. It looked too inviting a pillow, and she flopped right down onto it, not even caring that it was outside and she was lying on stone. Her body went limp and her brain went dead. Within seconds, she was sound asleep.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Hn."

He had to do everything, didn't he? If those two morons weren't still playing pounce among the trees, than he could have made one of them haul her dead carcass up and into the stupid cave, or if she had not been so stupid as to expend all of her damn energy trying to do so damn much, than he could have woken her up to do it her own damn self. As it was, Kurama was half-a-wood away, and he was up here with a passed out idiot of a taiji-ya who didn't know when to call it quits.

The corner of Hiei's mouth twitched. He actually had to respect that. Tenacious, stubborn, all-consumed and completely uncaring if she wasted her energy down to nothing so long as she did all she damn could to prove herself.

"Foolish woman." He sneered at her as he neatly jumped from his perch on the cave's roof and down by her side. "What a bother."

His eyes said different as he hauled her up in his arms. She was surprisingly light, as if made from the very air that was her element. Her head lolled until he reflexively shifted his shoulder so that her cheek nestled into the curve of his neck, her breath warm against his throat, which tightened slightly at the feel of it. Somehow the heat of her was transferring to the heat of him, and he could feel his body temperature rising minutely in reaction.

That had to be the reason. It couldn't be the fact that there was something rather appealing in the fact that she was so soft and limp in his strong arms as he stalked into the dark cave, dragging her damn cloak along after them.

What a ridiculous thought. He despised weakness and despised stupidity even more. She was an idiot to have drained herself so thoroughly that she had left herself at the mercy of any passing demon by passing out like that, and not during a real fight, when the expenditure of energy for one's very survival might be necessary, but no, it was because she was just too damn stubborn to know when to damn well quit.

He frowned, eyes glowing slightly in the darkness as he finally chose a relatively good spot to dump her. The rocky ground dipped a bit, providing a kind of cradle that might be a little better than the hard, unforgiving floor. Wrapping her up firmly in that annoyingly long cloak with its stupid spells, he carefully laid her down so that she faced the wall. The dark bruise around her right eye was already healing enough that it was starting to green and yellow around the edges, adding a distinctly putrid cast to the purple flower against her creamy skin. The thin fold of one edge of her cloak didn't look too comfortable a pillow, and he stirred irritably.

Before he could dwell on his unnatural actions, he had pulled his own coat off. Folding it, he lifted her head up with a gentle hand so that he could slip it under her. She let out a sigh, rubbing her cheek along the warm fabric before slumping back into somnolence. Her black bangs feathered across her cheek, covering the putrid flower around her eye, and she looked---peaceful.

Innocent.

Hiei's attention turned sharply as he heard Yusuke's whine coming up the hill. He could sense Kurama not too far behind, Jin's windy aura beside him. Scowling, Hiei cast one last glance back at the sleeping slayer before ducking back outside into the coming dusk, his eyes hooded and expression kept carefully blank.

oooooooOOOOooooooo

_SECOND A/N: _

_And since that wasn't enough reading and typing to torture you with, I have a scrap of a scene that I deleted but had to tag on the end as a "Just For Shits and Giggles" because I loved it. It just had no place in the flow of this insanely long chapter. So here it 'tis, as a belated gift for St. Patty's Day. Erin go Bragh!_

"I'll be needing a few recruits to help me out." Jin smiled. "With the training, mind."

"You should use Kurama. He's more ruthless than Hiei. Hiei's honor won't allow him to use his full strength on someone weaker than him."

Sango glared.

Cocking an eyebrow at the serene fox, Jin looked doubtful. "I dunno, now. I'm thinking he might be a bit too involved emotionalleee-oh-aye, OW! What'd you do that for, you wee bugger?"

"You are a fool, air demon. Kurama will never allow his emotions to get in the way of what he ever thinks he must do." Hiei sneered, his fist still curled.

Rubbing his bruised cheek, Jin looked thoughtful.

"What, are you now considering that Hiei go after her with the Dragon of the Darkness Flame?" Yusuke demanded with a grinning leer. Hiei gave him a flat stare.

"What's that?" Sango asked, curiously looking at the fire demon.

"Oh, uh, well, hopefully you'll never know." Yusuke shuddered in memory of it.

"I'd say that Dragon'd make a rather lousy house pet, wouldn't it just? Oooh---OW! What the hell, Kurama, that whip's a wee bit much, doncha think?"

HAHAHAHAHA!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: This was an extremely hard chapter to write. I'm not even sure that it's any good---it's my first attempt at a bit of limey yaoi (be warned, though I will edit the details out on ff(dot)net) and I'm not certain I dug into Kurama's head as well as I could have. But anyway, here it is in all it's over-written detail, LOL. (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA, LIME, MM AND FM, DETAILS EDITED OUT ON FFNET, THOUGH THE RATING IS NOW "M" FOR WHAT I DIDN'T

_If you are over 18, you can read the unedited version on aff(dot)net and mediaminer(dot)org under "YoukaiFate." _

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

Coming up the hill, basket heavy under his arm, Kurama paused as he saw Hiei duck outside the cave, his expression particularly stiff. There was stiff, and then there was _stiff_, and Kurama was well-versed in the nuances of each. Hiei was one who had mastered the skill of hiding his emotions early on, and his typical facial expression could only be called stony. But the look he wore now---or rather, the lack of one---could only be called deliberate.

_'Now what, I wonder, has caused that?' _Keeping his own expression attentive as Jin demonstrated one of Anei's new techniques with wild arm gestures and body contortions that the kitsune could hardly equate with the quietly poised girl he had come to know, Kurama greeted Hiei with a nonchalance he was far from feeling.

He studied the short demon covertly as he made busy-work of sorting through the various contents he had collected that day in his woven basket. Tossing a pucker-pear to Yusuke---who caught it with a grin of thanks before biting into the tart fruit and making the face that gave the pear its name---Kurama watched as Hiei leaned back against the cave's wall, his face shadowed by the lowering cast of the hidden sun's descent in the west. Bare to the waist, the tattered bandages that wrapped the demon's right arm were tinged a light pink to match the paling sky above, and he seemed overly tense, the line of his broad shoulders tight, although he gave the appearance of bored relaxation.

But again, there was relaxed and then there was _relaxed_. While Hiei never truly relaxed---except when he was exhausted to the point of unconsciousness---this pose was even more "battle-ready" than normal, and Kurama wondered why. His curiosity was piqued, and for a kitsune, that was no small thing. But he could tell from the demon's smoldering glare it was not something he could just come out and ask. Hiei was in a mood, and a bad one, it seemed.

_'I should probably leave well enough alone,' _Kurama thought to himself as he carefully separated the greens he wanted to use for dinner from those he wanted to save for later. But he knew he wouldn't. It wasn't in his nature. If he had a failing, it was that he _couldn't_. He was, after all, a fox, and curiosity came part and parcel with cleverness and sly calculation.

He hid a smile; if he had another failing, it was that he was confident in his own abilities, and was not ashamed to admit them. Proud---oh, yes, he was proud, and that was yet another failing he did not necessarily count as a bad thing.

"Heh." His faint smile was self-mocking as his eyes tilted at the corners_. 'I toot my own horn rather well, don't I?'_

"Something funny, Kurama?" Yusuke suddenly plopped down beside him, the pucker-pear nibbled to its core.

"Not really," Kurama replied dismissively as he neatly twined a bunch of useful herbs together with a grass-stem he had thriftily saved for the purpose. He eyed the pear Yusuke was about to toss away, and neatly plucked it out of detective's hand.

"Seeds," he explained as he neatly extracted them, dropping the tiny black buds into his palm before handing the eviscerated core back. Yusuke shook his head before launching it over his shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Jin." Yusuke didn't even look in the wind demon's direction. His brown eyes were too busy squinting at the fox. "You don't like to throw anything away, do you, Kurama? I never expected you to be such a pack rat."

"You never know when something might prove useful." Kurama shrugged, his eyes straying to Hiei, though he tried to keep his interest covert.

Yusuke, of course, noticed his preoccupation. Dropping his chin on his fist, eyes on the stony apparition who ignored them, he asked, sotto voice, "What's _his_ problem?"

Kurama shrugged again, trying to give the appearance of unconcern and knowing he wasn't fooling the keen-eyed detective.

"Huh." Yusuke's brown eyes narrowed. Dropping his fists to his hips, he called out loudly, "Hey, three-eyes, what the hell's your problem?"

Kurama closed his eyes and sighed as he waited for the inevitable death threat. When none came, he blinked over at the black-haired youkai, who had only pinned the former Spirit Detective with a flat stare.

Kurama sat back on his heels, frankly surprised as the short apparition's lip curled. Yusuke's eyes glittered with anticipation.

But Hiei, contrary as ever, only sneered a short "Hn," before abruptly taking off for the twilight-ridden trees below. Within three leaps, even his aura was gone, and Kurama and Yusuke could only exchange questioning glances as Jin bounced down to join them.

"Quick little bastard, isn't he just?" The blue-eyed apparition casually leaned over and snagged a ripe sprout from the pile Kurama had sorted. He bit off the end with a loud crunch. "Always did like these."

"Don't eat all of them or there won't be any left for the stew," Kurama warned as the wind youkai filched another. In fact, he should go retrieve Anei's pot from inside the cave as it would take some time to simmer. Brushing the dust from his knees, Kurama stood up to do so as Yusuke groused that they were eating stew far too damn often. But it was relatively easy to make, and created a well-balanced, nourishing meal that could stretch their leftovers on days when they didn't hunt.

Jin argued just that point as Yusuke rolled his eyes and Kurama left them behind. The dim shadows of the cave's interior muffled the dark lump that was Anei curled up on one side, her cloak pulled up over her shoulders and her hair a dark spill around her. Loathed to disturb her, for her energy signature was low and only sleep would restore it, Kurama was quiet as only a kitsune could be. Picking up the collapsible pot, he paused. Frowning, he turned back to stare at her, nagged by something that seemed odd about her.

There was a hint of a white collar peeping under the spill of the taiji-ya's dark hair, and a brow rose as Kurama recognized it. His head turned sharply, his gaze lingering on the patch of darkening sky beyond the cave's opening where Hiei had gone, and his green eyes narrowed.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

He was quiet through dinner, his thoughts troubled as various reasons for Hiei's uncharacteristic altruism churned inside his busy mind. Picking apart possibilities raised other questions he didn't really want to answer, and he just grew more disturbed by the directions they pointed him.

Sensitive to his mood, Yusuke was uncommonly good about leaving him alone. He suffered a few long looks out of the corner of the detective's brown eye but Yusuke went out of his way to distract Jin, much to Kurama's relief. Jin could be as perceptive as Yusuke, at times uncomfortably so, and the wind demon had less scruples about demanding rather bluntly what was what. Kurama didn't want questions right now, he had enough already plaguing him.

Like why it was that he was so attracted to the slayer, and why it was he was so jealous of any attention paid her, by anyone, even his closest friends. Why it was that seeing such a simple thing as Hiei's coat folded under her cheek, a mere kindness really, could make his hands tighten on his knees so that his knuckles grew white?

Abruptly aware of that fact, he deliberately loosened them, his fingers smoothing over the wrinkled fabric as his eyes narrowed. He was careful to keep the frown from his face, but he needed to be alone right now so he wouldn't have to worry about the need to do so. Standing abruptly, he made some casual lie that he was certain fooled neither demon, and stalked off into the night-darkened woods that were such an unspoken comfort to him, just because they were what they were. The natural world had always drawn him, even as a human child who couldn't understand why it did, or the worried mother who could always find him up in a tree, his legs dangling as he idly twirled a plucked leaf between his fingers.

Poor Shiori. His human mother had never understood him, even as a child, and he had not been easy on her. He had been rather difficult, actually, as his true demonic nature had slowly emerged without her ever knowing the cause of his slow withdrawal from the loving little toddler he had been to the moody, arrogant boy he became. Assured of his innate superiority over the mere humans surrounding him, he had rejected her love, throwing it back in her face more often than not, and made even more uneasy by her loving him regardless of that fact.

That had humbled and shamed him, even as Youko---who could not understand such unconditional love, being frankly too narcissistic and self-absorbed to ever comprehend such selflessness---had been irritated by it. Kurama, himself, was still baffled by his mother's unreserved love for him, and the fact she did both alarmed and unnerved him, for it was not something he could readily return. He, just as much as Youko, was ever too careful to let such an---_unpredictable_---emotion get the better of him. It was too uncontrollable, too wild, too---_emotional_.

And yet it was there, somehow. Maybe not as---acute and altruistic as his mother's love was for him, but he did have a deep regard for her, and a debt of baffled gratitude that left him deeply humbled for her care of him as a child. He did not understand it---could not, possibly---but he could accept it and the price it had for him. Though never the hold it had on him, for he chafed at such restrictions even as he knew they were not ones he could so easily discard, for he owed her too much.

But what unnerved him the most was Shiori Minamino's simple, unquestioning devotion. She did not care, could never care, who or what he was---though he often wondered if that would actually hold true if she were to ever know who---or what, rather---he _really_ was. He didn't know if he ever actually wanted to test that, though, for the results might well disappoint him, and he didn't want that particular pretense shattered.

And there was something about Anei, some undefined quality or sentiment he could not name, that reminded him strangely of Shiori. He could not pinpoint what, exactly, it was. They could not be more different in character. Anei was, first and foremost, a warrior. His mother could never be that; it was not in her nature. She was loving and kind, but also rather fragile and helpless at times. She needed protection; Anei was too independent to ever let herself---or ever admit that she might.

But perhaps he was giving his mother too little credit. She _had_ managed to raise him on her own after her husband died. Kurama could not remember him, truly, except as a warm memory and a certain smell that triggered the phantom feeling of being held and laughing. It was an uncomfortable memory, actually, for his more logical side to reconcile with the absence of the man from his life while growing up and the struggles Shiori had gone through because of it. Diffident and shy, she had devoted all of her life on his behalf, pouring herself into being a mother and giving him all she could with limited means. She had worked overtime at the magnet school he had attended, cleaning until her fingers were red and raw so that he could go to a school equal to his worth and intelligence. She had delighted in his academic achievements, never mentioning the many sacrifices she had made so that he could go to the expensive schools his high test scores demanded. He had taken it for granted, actually, that it was his just due, never giving thought to what it might have cost her.

And then the cancer had come, a slow growth that had eventually changed their roles as he was forced to take on more and more responsibility as her frail human body succumbed to the insidious disease. He had been shocked to realize just how much he had always taken for granted, and the humbling revelation had changed him, for it had made him realize just how much he didn't know and could never know, wrapped as he was in his own arrogance and vanity.

And while he had wrestled with his own inner demons, he had been humbled by his mother's serene acceptance of the situation, even as everything the doctors tried eventually failed, and her vitality dwindled by the day, until she could not even get up out of her hospital bed without assistance. And even as he silently railed and despaired at the fickle whimsy of fate, she had remained ever cheerful and encouraging, revealing the true inner strength that dwelt behind her seeming fragility.

Such innocence, he had thought in weary despair as her body wasted away under the cancer's cruel influence. And yet he cherished it even as he thought it foolish, and made his own plans to save it---and her---for there was something so achingly sweet and beautifully untouched about it. It was not something he, himself, had ever had. He was not capable of it---he distrusted too much, wondered too much, disbelieved and discarded such a quaint absurdity as sanguinity. He had too many years and too much knowledge to ever have innocence. As cliché as it was, ignorance _was_ bliss---as shown by this human woman who had raised him and had somehow managed to keep that innocent joy bright in her soft brown eyes, even in the sunken pallor of her careworn face.

And he, arrogant, selfish, suspicious and weary of a world he knew too well the darker side of, had been so awed and humbled by that simple fact that he had been willing to sacrifice himself to preserve it, knowing that in the end she was worth ever so much more than he, bitter skeptic that he was.

And yet he had been saved by another human who had that basic faith in life's goodness. Yusuke's gift---a second chance---had saved both him and his mother, and gave him the chance to redeem himself, perhaps, and maybe even find some understanding of what he could not.

And Anei---he had glimpsed that same simple joy in her as he had seen shining in his mother's eyes, something so innocent and untouched and _free_. Though just for a moment, as the slayer had been awakened to the jyaki that existed within her and the world around her. Like a child, the joy that had bubbled up in her carefree laugh as she recognized it as her own and finally accepted herself---Gods, the awe it had struck in him, the pure astonishment, the complete surprise.

Acceptance, yes, he had expected that. Awareness and that sudden realization that one was connected to everything around them, yes, he had been expecting that, too. But her _joy_ in it---that he had not. What had been revealed that day was her inner self, her _true_ inner self, no matter how tightly she shielded herself away from it or denied what she truly was capable of.

And the fact that she had managed to keep that joy, that innocence, still intact and locked deep inside her, even while hiding it from herself, baffled and intrigued him, for she had that same weariness of spirit and burden of too many years upon her, that same suspicion and careful reserve and deliberate detachment from others that he had. But she, somehow, had managed to keep that innocence that he had never even had, even with the dark things she had seen and done through the many centuries of a rather isolated and bitter existence.

And as attractive as she was too him---for she was beautiful, though she hardly knew that, either--- the attraction of that inner beauty held even more appeal for him. And he had an overwhelming need to protect it, for it was so fragile a thing, so easily lost, and he didn't want that to happen.

It would be like he was failing himself, somehow, if he let it.

A wind tickled its way through the branches above him, rustling the pine needles in a shivering whisper that was comforting in that it reminded him, distinctly, that no matter what deep revelations he was having, there was still life going on around him. He needed that, sometimes, to draw him from his own melancholy thoughts and inner turmoil. He tended to wander the paths of his own mind for far too long and to no true purpose than to justify or reassure himself that he had some vague control over the things around him. And he did value that control, almost to his own detriment. And at least finally understanding what it was about the slayer that called him so much, and understanding the protective instincts he had for her, well, he could then more easily understand and forgive himself his jealousy of even that small mark of Hiei's regard for the girl.

And thus he could put it in its proper place, and dismiss it. And that was enough

for now.

Except it wasn't, not really. Which he learned all too soon, in the restless dreams that plagued him that night, where even his legendary control could not suppress the hidden desires that curled through his subconscious mind…

It had been easy enough to return, his calm geniality somewhat restored by his walk in the woods. Yusuke made no comment but took a long, hard look into his eyes. Whatever the detective had seen there, he seemed reassured by it, and had only shrugged and made some sarcastic snigger as to why the fox might like to escape into the woods by himself so damn much.

"A man has needs. I ain't gonna fault ya, Kurama. Even I get the itch now and again, especially with a hot piece of ass like---"

"Do you ever shut up, Detective?" That icy demand had come from the darkness above them, and Yusuke's grin had only grown toothier.

"Hiya, three-eyes. Where the hell have you been?"

"Hn."

Yusuke had given him a wide-eyed look of mock innocence. "You, too, huh? Damn, but I don't know what's worse, itchy balls or itchy fingers---"

"Eh, Urameshi, lad, I think you're getting a tad bit too descriptive there," Jin had hastily interrupted, his hand firming on the Mazoku's bare shoulder as he took in Hiei's darkening expression.

Yusuke had smirked, but thankfully kept silent as they finally turned in for the night. Mercifully, the ex-detective did not have the night vision to notice Hiei's coat still folded under Anei's head in the dark, or there would have been hell to pay. As it was, Hiei ignored all of them to slump down against the back wall, as far away from the sleeping taiji-ya as he could manage. Since Jin sprawled lazily between them, Yusuke taking the slayer's other side, Kurama was left to settle himself almost directly across from her. He did not expect sleep to come easily, but it had. Even as he tilted his head back against the wall, closing his eyes, it had crept upon him and it was then that he dreamed…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

At first, the dream was not unwelcome, for he found himself in a forest not unlike one in living world, the trees thick and verdant but not as tall as those in Makai, the grass a soft green carpet beneath them. Mist drifted through the trees, though the air was damp and warm. There was the heavy scent of flowers on the light breeze, mixing with the earthy smell of any forest, ripe with life and the warm loam of dark earth, the faint hint of decay and the sharp scent of crushed pine. He breathed it in, delighting in the vividness of his idle fancy.

He walked slowly between the trees---though it was as if he had the sensation of it, his legs moving, his feet stepping carefully over a tree's root, the thick grass soft underfoot---but the distance seemed far shorter than his wandering step should account for. The mist thickened, the damp warmth steadily increasing, the scent of the flowers growing heavier on the air as thick brambles and vines surrounded him. Reaching out, he touched a soft petal with a faint smile, for even in his dreams, he dreamed of roses. Their fragrance was all around him, heady and lingering, and he savored their beauty. From the shy bud that peeked open to the full blossom who flaunted her draping petals to the wilting rose weeping soft tear-shaped petals from her face as they slowly fell around her. Their colors ran the gamut from deepest red to palest blush, from a white whose water-droplets sparkled like diamonds amidst its breath-taking purity, to the almost vulgar peach who flaunted herself alongside the caught sunshine of her saffron sisters.

He could have lost himself in just this peaceful idyll, lazily bemused and entranced by the roses' vivid beauty, but he slowly became aware that he was not alone in this pacific paradise. His head rose, and he took a tentative sniff, testing the air, but could only smell the faintly steamy quality of the warm breeze, a sulfuric undertone to it that hinted of a hot spring bubbling up from the earth's warm core. He suddenly straightened, his skin tingling with anticipation, and he suddenly knew---though he couldn't say how---just who it was.

Plucking a rose free, a shy, soft bud just perfect for the cup of her small palm, he hurried forward, hoping to glimpse her bathing in the steamy mists, his mind caught up by the tantalizing vision. And suddenly the brambles were parting before him, in that mysterious way dreams had, and he caught sight of her---a creamy shoulder, a tangle of black hair swirling idly across the water's surface, the steam veiling her one moment, then teasing away the next.

He hesitated, for she seemed unaware of him, and was even moving slowly away from him and toward the far bank. Her long hair swayed sinuously behind her, pulled along by the widening ripples her own movement broke through the water's placid calm. She gradually emerged from the steamy spring, her back to him. Her hair, black as midnight and slick with water, fell crosswise across her back like a heavy mantle, the ends still curling lazily in the water beside her left hip. Her trim waist mimicked the line, flaring into the wider hips of a woman's enticing curves before disappearing beneath the warm water that lapped around her. She paused, tilting her head back a little as she drew her arms up above her, stretching languorously as she arched her back and sighed.

He closed his eyes, his breath catching at the mere thought of it, his hand tightening around the small rose so that he could feel the sharp kiss of its tiny thorns---though they did not, of course, break the skin in his dreams as they would have in real life. He imagined tracing the bud across her steam-drenched skin, her breath quickening even as his was now as the delicate petals caressed her soft lines, leaving the lingering breath of its scent upon her quivering flesh as prickles formed in its wake.

His tongue would follow the rose's path, his kisses as soft and tantalizing as he swept across her skin, mapping it and memorizing it as he imprinted his mouth upon her creamy curves. She would gasp and cling to him as he drew her mouth down to his, feasting on her lips as the ardor rose between them and the mist enshrouded their bodies in wet heat…

He stepped forward, his green eyes darkening with lust as his mouth curved in hungry understanding.

But a faint noise just to his left froze him in mid-stride, his head snapping around to stare in shock at the demon who stood hidden in the vine-draped shadows. His eyes were half-closed, a scarlet gleam glinting between the thick, sooty lines of his lowered lashes, his head thrown back as he grit his teeth on a harsh groan. He was bare to the waist, the thick muscles along his shoulders and arms bunching and tightening in sharp definition as he drew a sharp breath in to let it go on a low, shuddering sound of pure, animalistic need…

And even as he turned, trying to catch a glimpse of her lost in the steamy mists of the hot springs, Kurama came abruptly awake as his head jerked to the side. His breath was ragged and overly-loud to his ears in the thick darkness, and his heart was beating too fast in his chest. He stiffened, warily looking around to see if anyone else was awake to notice, but they still slept, their snores soft and even in the heavy shadows.

He flushed, uncomfortably aware of the bulging tent in the crease of his pants, which suddenly felt too tight and constrictive. Disturbed by the vividness of his dream and the dual desires it signified, he drew his knees up and waited for his body to lose the hot desire that flooded through it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Youko's husky chuckle, and his eyes turned brooding and pensive as he gazed for a long, long time into the quiet darkness.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Special thanks to BaitdCat, Yue no Rei, Yazzyboo and Guyute24 for staying with this story so long. I appreciate each and every one of your reviews---they really inspire me to go and pound more out on the keyboard. =P (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

"Now, it's been three days since first's I've come, and you've learned quite a lot, you have, Lily. There's not much more that I can be a'teaching you that you canna be figuring out on your own, and what you have done learned will just need more time and the practicing to get that much better, no?"

Sango nodded, though she was slightly suspicious of the gleam in the wily Wind Master's light blue eyes. Although he tried to keep an uncharacteristically stoic expression on his face, the corner of his mouth kept twitching, and that never boded well for her.

"Now, the best way for you to be realizing all the skills you've picked up in the last two days is for you to be having a kind of test, I'm thinking. Because the best way for you to be perfecting what it is I've been teaching ya is for you to have reason enough to use it, yes?"

Sango's brown eyes narrowed and she deliberately set her breakfast aside. As delicious as the omelet was that Kurama had made that morning, she was suddenly not all that hungry. Jin had a nasty way of starting anything new by saying it was for her own good. His style of teaching over the past two days often left it up to her to figure out just what the hell he wanted her to do by presenting her with a situation she either had to get out of---and right quick---or hurt all the more for not. This was the first morning where she hadn't woken up feeling like she had been run over by a semi, and that was only because the wind demon had let her sleep in a few more hours to recover from yesterday's beating.

It was coarse, yes, but rather effective. And by the wind apparition's one-fanged smirk, she was in for it.

"So's I've been thinking---"

"There's a first."

Yusuke choked, caught with a mouth full of eggs as a laugh bubbled up. Smacking a fist to his chest, he turned as bright a red as the spicy tomato-like vegetables that Kurama had added to the omelets. Forcibly swallowing, the laughter finally won free, and the Mazoku gasped, tears in his bright brown eyes. "Ha, ha, good one, Hiei!"

Even Kurama cracked a faint smile from where he was scouring Sango's collapsible pot with sand. Jin glared at the short, spiky-headed demon, who returned his scowl with a cool look of appraisal, as if daring the Shinobi to do something about it. But Jin only bared both fangs in a smug grin, as if he knew something the other didn't, and would be able to get the fire demon back soon enough.

"Like I was to say, I'm thinking a good roust-about is just what the alkie ordered," Jin continued, eyes glinting. "And to provide ye enough incentive to use _all_ you've learned, Lily, I'm thinking that you'll best be taking on all four of us at once, in a kind of game of hide-and-find, or what do those bloody humans call it---hide-and-peep."

"It's hide-and-_seek_, you idiot." Hiei didn't bother to hide his impatience, turning a flat red stare on the wind apparition. "And what, pray tell, will provide us with enough incentive to actually take part in this ridiculous game?"

"Hell, Hiei, isn't helping Anei enough?" Yusuke demanded. "You've never backed down before from a fight."

"This is not a fight, Detective. This is a _game_, and I have no time or desire for such childish pastimes."

"You really had a fucked up childhood, didn't you, three-eyes?" Yusuke's blind jab must have hit home, for the demon's glare darkened and a hand went to his hilt. Yusuke only smiled.

"That has hardly any bearing on Jin's proposal, Yusuke," Kurama quickly intervened. His dark green gaze rested thoughtfully on Sango, who was careful not to meet it, uncomfortably aware that she had been purposely avoiding the kitsune over the past few days and rather grateful that Jin's torturous training had let her.

"Perhaps you should explain further, Jin," Kurama invited, and the Wind Master's pointed ears flicked.

"Ah, now, that I can be doing. And I think you'll find it intriguing enough, lads, and that Lily will have enough of an incentive to keep her wits about her, for I'm thinking that as price if one of us can catch her is a good smack or two."

Looking perturbed, Yusuke made as if to protest, but Sango only shrugged. "It's not like I haven't done hand-to-hand combat before, and if you want to add a fight as the cost if I'm caught, than I can understand how that will let me exercise both the defensive and offensive techniques I've learned."

Growing red, Jin's hearty guffaw burst out loud and long as he slapped a fist to his knee and howled. Not knowing the joke, the others waited impatiently for the wind demon to gain control of himself, which he did by waving a hand in front of his face---though Hiei's annoyed glare set him off again. Oh, revenge would be _sweet_.

"Oh, ah, sorry about that---but oooh, I can but see your faces---hee, hee---oh, give me just a minute---" The wind swirled around the apparition as he stood up and bounced a few times to wiggle his toes and shake the laughter off of him, though a giggle or two still managed to escape as he finally set himself back on terra firma and put his hands on his hips, his expression sly as he explained, "Now, lass, it wasn't _that_ kind of smack I be talking about---it was the other kind. The _kissing_ kind."

"Wha-What?" Sango's mouth fell open in shock.

Yusuke fell over laughing at her expression. She looked like a stunned fish gasping for air. He had no idea her eyes could widen that damn much---they looked ready to pop right out of her head.

Hiei's lip curled in disdain, but he didn't make any out and out protests, which disappointed Jin. He'd been hoping for more of a reaction than that, damn his stony hide.

Kurama almost made up for Hiei. Although his expression revealed even less than the fire demon's, his eyes were a different story. So intense a color, they reminded Jin just why his beloved Eire was named the Emerald Isle. "And what are the rules of this particular engagement?"

Jin shrugged. "I've none I can think of. Except you can't kill each other, I guess. It'd probably be nice to give Lily a good head start, seeing as there are four of us and just one of her. I'm thinking ten minutes ought to be good enough."

"No rules, huh?" Yusuke's laughter died. Turning a wicked smile on Sango, he gave her a slow, deliberate wink.

"I admit it sounds intriguing," Kurama drawled, his gaze calculating.

Sango paled.

Hastily jumping up to her feet, she shook her head. "I don't think that this is such a good idee---"

"Ah, me sweet Lily, this is just for your benefit." Jin leaned over and tweaked the end of her nose. Sango reared back, angry color flooding her cheeks as he wagged a finger at her. "I warned ye fair that you'll no be liking all me training, didn't I just? You protesting just tells me I've hit upon exactly the right incentive to keep you bouncing, no? And you'd best be getting a move on it, for times a'wasting, and a whole minute's gone by with you still standing here."

His blue eyes twinkled.

Sango froze.

"Only nine left," Jin warned her, delighted by the flash of red in her eyes as she spun around with a scowl.

She was off like a shot.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Of all the insufferable, under-handed, evilly sadistic crap that wind-driven bastard had pulled, this was by far the worst damn idea _ever_.

Grabbing hold of the branch above her, Sango used it to swing out to the next tree, adding a touch of the wind to boost her leap across the sky. Landing awkwardly, she paused a moment to scout out the next even as she swept a breeze around her to hide her scent. This would have been so much easier if she had thought to grab her cloak and knives before taking off. _'Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was I thinking?'_

She hadn't been thinking. She'd just reacted, like some scared little rabbit startled out from under cover. Well, she'd best start thinking now, and damn fast. She just had a few more minutes and then they'd be after her. She had to get out of the treetops quickly. Besides being Hiei's playground, Jin could easily fly up above and spot her like a sitting duck. Using cross-currents to obscure her trail wouldn't keep Kurama off of it for long, not with his keen kitsune senses, and she didn't dare discount the Spirit Detective's abilities either.

Her best bet would be to find something that she could hide in. Some place where she wouldn't have to watch all sides, but somewhere that had a bolt hole that she could use to escape if needed. She knew she couldn't outrun any of them, and to burn up her energy like that, and so early on, would be downright foolish. She had an idea---there was a small island in the middle of the forest, one surrounded by a moat of placid water that could hide her scent even from Kurama's nose. Most of the low hill was barren, but there was a type of half-cave on one side of it, if she remembered correctly, one covered in thick moss. She could take cover in it and be able to see if anyone approached. It was as good an idea as any she'd had, and so she acted on it, jumping from tree to tree and finally grabbing on to a swooping down-draft to carry her farther.

Damn that wind-blown jerk---she was going to kill him for this!

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Closing his eyes, Jin stretched out his senses and smiled. Poor Lily. She had no idea he could tell exactly where she was just by her drag against the wind. Finding her was going to be easy. Now, catching her once he found her---ah, now that would be a sweet little game, with the reward a sweet little kiss stolen from her sweet little lips.

And that wasn't even the best part of the whole wonderful idea. No, the sweetest part was the death-glare the fire demon had given him just after the taiji-ya took off. So, he _had_ managed to get under that little killer's skin after all. And the speculative look in the kitsune's cool gaze was even more promising.

Well, if all this provided enough incentive to get either of those two fools off their arses than it really would be worth it. For Lily deserved better of them than this awkward stalemate. And by blessed Saint Patrick's yellow toenail, he would find some way for it all to work out, and do it all for her own good. She needed that, bless her stubborn, little, thick-headed self. It was a real shame, it was, that it wasn't he who could be the one to crack that tight little shield she kept over her heart, but she saw him too much as a friend, and he knew enough that it could never be more. Maybe, if she had been in a different place in her life and he a different place in his, but---well, he wouldn't be the one caught pissing against the wind for things he couldn't help---that would only get you splattered.

"All right, lads, we've only got a few minutes more." Jin grinned toothily, bouncing lightly up on his toes to stretch and warm his muscles. The wind circled around him, teasing the short red hair from off his forehead and rippling the fabric of his clothes. Oh, this was going to be fun! "I'll be reminding you, it's no holds barred and if'n you do manage to catch the wee lass, than I'm trusting you to remember it's just a kiss, yes? Anything more, and I'll stand by and let her gut you herself with one of her wee sticks."

Hiei turned a look on him that made ice creep down his spine. Woowie, but that little mite had a scary glare. Talk about repression!

Yusuke snorted. "You're a right loony bastard, aren't you, Jin? You sure like sticking you're foot right in the middle of it, don't you?"

Pointed ears twitching, Jin only winked as he bounced a good three feet off the ground, more than certain that he could find the girl at any time he wanted, and rather looking forward to seeing the outcome if one of those two demons caught up to them at just the right moment. It would be entertaining, to say the least.

"I beg you to remember, gentlemen, that all is fair in love and war," Kurama said idly, pulling a rose from behind his ear to sniff at it delicately. His eyes were cold as he stared at Jin.

"Hn. How trite." Hiei's smirk belied the sentiment. He clearly took the fox's warning for what it was.

Brown eyes bright, Yusuke only crossed his arms and smirked. Jin wondered what he was thinking, for the Mazoku's gaze kept cutting back to him, and he saluted his friend with a cheeky grin. He almost did a double-take when Kurama said mildly, "I think it's time---the ten minutes you gave Anei are up, Jin."

"Oh, well, then, I guess the floor's open---" Jin summoned the wind, his smile widening.

"Hn." Hiei vanished.

Shrugging, Kurama went strolling down the hill, his pace unhurried. Lightly turning the rose in his fingers, he looked like was going off for a morning walk. The fox had to be daft, or had no intention of actually taking part in the little game. Shame, it was, for Jin actually liked him a bit better than the short little killer, though he respected both of them well enough.

Ah, well, his loss it was, and with a shrug and last wink at Yusuke, Jin took to the air in a tornado of whipping dust.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Shielding his eyes from the grit kicked up by Jin's windy departure, Yusuke smirked from behind his arm. He had to give it to the crazy Shinobi---he sure knew how to stir things up, and in more ways than one. But Yusuke had a mission of his own. While Jin might think going after the slayer was just all part of the fun, Yusuke had other ideas. And so after he watched Kurama's red head finally disappear among the trees, he looked up, glad that there was no sun in this damn purple-clouded world to interfere.

And white showed up so good against pink and purple. Even as a tiny dot up there in the weird sky. But Yusuke's vision had improved a whole hell of a lot more since that Mazoku crap had awakened within him, and he knew damn well so had his power.

Cocking his thumb back and taking aim, he squinted, sighting along his extended forefinger. Using his other hand as a brace, he shouted, "Spirit Gun!"

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Startled, Kurama's eyes opened. He glanced behind him, wondering what had set the detective off, but when nothing else happened, he shrugged and returned to his task. Closing his eyes again, he brought the single red rose up before him, his other hand flat beside it as he concentrated, so still that not even a single red hair trembled. With a sudden, sharp turn, he drew the rose around him like he would when he released his Rose Whip, but the thorny stem remained untouched. Instead, the rose's petals fell one by one, drifting in a spiraling swirl behind him. There were more petals than a single rose could account for, but the rose was just the focus, not the source.

When he had turned a full circle, he let the last of the rose's physical presence disappear, funneling his focus's energy into the dancing petals that surrounded him. He considered them a moment, pondering the tiny seeds cupped in the gentle curve of each petal's embrace, and with a second sweep of his arm, sent them flying off in all directions to act as his tiny little spies.

Sango had taken care to mask her scent. He had already tested the air back upon the hill while he and the others had waited. He had known exactly when she had sent the first breeze swirling over her zigzagging climb up through the trees, and although he had caught it a moment later, in another part of the forest, that trace had disappeared as well.

He did not have Hiei's Jagan Eye to help locate the slayer's current whereabouts, but he did have the little blood-eye seeds he had carefully saved from each of the fruit he had harvested. They were rather useful little seeds, for their distinctive name not only came from the fact that the apple-like fruit grew between two buds, thus looking like a bloody eye as they ripened, but the fact that the seeds inside each one actually had the rudimentary optics to scout out the best place to burrow themselves into the earth, if chance and fate had brought them to a good place to do so. With his abilities, he could manipulate the seeds for his own use, pulling images from the flying "eyes" randomly at whim.

But not all the seeds he had used had been of the blood-eye. The larger pod-like seedlings were in fact of the feather-dust plant rarely found this far north. He had been lucky to stumble across it in one of his daily wanderings, and he had carefully harvested every pod he could without damaging the gnarled tree's odd life cycle. The pods, when opened, would emit a microscopic dust into the air that actually had the ability to hide demonic auras. Dangerous, yes, but it would block Hiei's third eye, and Kurama considered that the benefits far outweighed the risks.

Hiei would not be happy, but that would at least put them both on a more equal footing. And Hiei would understand and might even applaud his ruthlessness---the fire demon had depended on that particular ability of his many times in the past. He had given the apparition more than fair warning, and Hiei had hardly seemed perturbed. Kurama wondered what tricks the demon had up his sleeve, and wondered if he would be able to anticipate them. One of the things he respected about the short demon was the fact that he often did the unexpected.

This would be a great hunt, and Kurama was not averse to the prize. Jin had surprised him with the idea---but he was determined to win. Now that he had taken care of the Jagan, he could turn his clever mind to what he knew of the slayer. She was not stupid---she would know their various abilities and know that she could not combat all of them. She would probably go to ground, somewhere she felt safe but could still watch their approach from all angles. Knowing she could not outrun them, and knowing how cautious she was, she would probably seek defense as the best option, and choose her battlefield carefully. No trees, then, for Hiei to skip from, and little plant-life for he, himself, to take advantage of. Somewhere hidden from view by the air, and maybe hard to run to, to combat Yusuke's ground-eating pace. There were a number of places that came to mind, but one in particular stood out, though he wondered if she knew of it.

Going over where last he had caught her scent, he thought that the odd little hill-island near the center of the forest might be a good bet. There was a half-cave on one side of it that could provide good cover but still had an escape route if needed, and Anei was too good an assassin not to consider that fact as well. He had to applaud her choice, if that were it, for even the strange brook-moat that circled around the large, low island would throw off the scent of her passage without her bothering to expend her energy to use the wind to confuse it.

It wouldn't hurt to go in that direction---there were two or three other spots that she might have considered using as well along that way, and his seed-spies would send their images no matter where he was.

Brushing an imaginary bit of dust from his shoulder, Kurama set out at a brisk pace.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Damn that tricky fox. Hiei scowled as the pupil of his third eye shrank back down to its normal size, the green-tinged glow dying from around it. Even as he cursed the fact that Kurama had somehow managed to render the Jagan useless, he had to admire the fox for his ingenuity.

But while the strange haze that blurred demonic auras to his Jagan would not let him pinpoint the girl's current location by sight, Kurama had forgotten that it would not block the Jagan's formidable telepathic abilities. He had touched the girl's mind twice already, which meant he could reach out and touch it again at any time he chose. Not that using his telepathy didn't come without risks---she would know, for one, and opening himself up like that, to the forest, there was the possibility he might touch something else by accident, waking or disturbing it. There was even the faint possibility that it might even be stronger than him, and be able to seize his seeking mind in its grasp.

That possibility was remote, but he was not a fool to play with any potential danger, even one so small. And there were ways he could narrow the area he needed to search, and all he had to do was go back and take something of hers that he could use as a physical focus. Like draws like, and any of the daggers familiar to her hand would draw a rough arrow that would point him in the right direction.

Turning on his heel, he was running back the way he had come and silently cursing the need for it. Damn that fox---perhaps Kurama had remembered his telepathic abilities, and knew the delay it would cost him to go back to the cave and retrieve something of hers. Part of the secret to Kurama's success was that he planned for any and all contingencies, not just one or another.

He would do well to do that himself, rather than going off as recklessly as Yusuke. Then he might not be caught by surprise as much. Though that damn detective had managed to surprise him, turning on Jin like that.

Hiei let a smile twist across the firm line of his mouth as he neatly leapt past the spiky protrusion of a poison-pine bush. Skirting a snarling rat demon caught off guard as he snaked past, he idly wondered why the detective had even bothered. Lord knows Yusuke had already beaten Jin during the Dark Tournament. Perhaps he just wanted to test out his new abilities, and on a fairly worthy opponent. Though it really wasn't that fair of a fight. Yusuke was a S class demon now, by Spirit World's officious standards, and Jin was only a B class.

Reminded of his own classification as a B class demon, Hiei glared. Once this shit with Yusuke's ancestor and Anei's brother was over, he was going to make damn sure Spirit World released him from his contract, and find a way for him to grow stronger. It galled him no end that even with the release of the Dragon, he was still considered a pathetic B class demon by Reikai's ridiculous reckoning.

Strength, in the end, was all that truly mattered.

Landing neatly on the cave's now-familiar roof, he jumped down and grabbed the nearest hilt in Anei's neatly folded clothing. The hilt was smooth and worn, the blade plain but well-balanced. Good. It was one she had used for a while, and it would bear the stamp of her particular energy signature from the long familiarity. His fingers tingled as he closed his eyes, concentrating as the pupil in the middle of his Jagan widened slightly. Turning slowly, he poured his own energy into the link between his third eye and the small blade, pushing it out to follow the link of the blade to the smaller, feminine hand that usually held it.

_'There.' _Like the arrow of a compass pointing true north, Hiei opened his eyes and smiled. This was going to be almost too easy. Although he was unfamiliar with that part of the far-reaching Forest of Fools, he had a rough idea of where he could now look. Closing his eyes again, he concentrated, sending his mind speeding straight along the line of direction that the blade indicated. He passed swiftly---thought was much faster than light---and touched her awareness, grabbing onto it and slipping inside her mind like a knife to soft flesh.

He felt her stiffen in surprise, and the wave of emotion that swirled around him---shock, fear, recognition, and strangely, welcome, which then dissolved to anger, alarm and remonstrance.

_'JERK!'_

He winced. Gods, did she have to shout like that? It was echoing around his skull, leaving swirls of thought-eddies bouncing around his brain. That damn hanyou was going to give him a fucking headache.

Angry with her overwhelming emotions---which she should know by now to collar around him---he tightened his grip, deliberately deepening the contact. He could feel her body now as an extension of his, and he felt her shudder, her heart speeding up as heat flushed along her limbs. There was an odd sensation pricking across his/her skin and he felt her go rigid in embarrassment as a familiar trickle of desire unfurled low in her belly, adding weight to her breasts and tightening her nipples. It was a strange phenomenon, feeling such sensations that were so like and yet so unlike his own when his body responded to desire, and he savored it and the newness of it and the knowledge that it was he that caused such feelings within her.

Her emotions rose in a flood of embarrassment and shame---she knew he knew, and suddenly it was too intimate, too close, too shared for her to stand. She pushed against him with all her might, and still surprised by the discovery, Hiei found himself abruptly shoved right out of her head. Angry that she would dare to reject him, he growled, determined to show her just who had the upper hand in this contest of wills, and was just about to force himself back inside her mind when he felt something stirring along the fringe of his thoughts.

He froze, carefully shielding himself from the sluggish thoughts that suddenly surrounded him, her, both of them---though, no, it was _her_ that it surrounded, below and around and above, and although it had been sleeping for a long, long time, it was now disturbed enough that it was waking up from its long hibernation.

It was angry, uncertain what, exactly, had disturbed and awakened it. And it was suddenly aware that it was very, very hungry…


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Again, I must thank everyone for their reviews and inspiration. It keeps me editing in the wee hours so I can hurry and post. ^.^ (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA, AND INUYASHA THE MOVIE 3: SWORDS OF AN HONORABLE RULER! LONG SENTENCES, BAD WORDS, AND

_**Chapter Twenty**_

Eyes flying open, Sango braced herself by gripping the curving half-wall beside her for support as the earth shuddered. Caught off-guard by Hiei's abrupt intrusion into her mind, she had managed to push him out just before the ground started shaking. Eying the long, V-like opening of the cave she hid in, Sango thought better of staying where more of the moss-covered walls could tumble right down on top of her. The roof had probably caved in during another earthquake, if the odd, hill-shaped island was prone to them.

Pulling the air to her with a sharp motion, Sango added buoyancy to her step as she lurched free of the cave, whose walls were even now starting to tremble, dust hissing down their root-ridden face. The strange moss-like grass was tearing away, flinging clods of mud and earth around as the stone shifted beneath it. Dirt slid under her feet, making her skid and flail like a drunk as the shaking increased, and Sango dove for the barren hilltop, using the wind to propel her forward.

The pincer-shaped cave lay on the left edge of the round island, and her eyes widened at the fretful water that splashed along the shore. The island---or hill, or whatever it was---stood surrounded by a thin ribbon of water, like the moat surrounding a medieval castle in Europe. Normally placid and untroubled, the water now frothed and foamed as the ground beneath it continued to move. Sango did an odd lurch-and-jump for the relative safety of the hill's summit, though it was really only a dozen or so feet higher than the island's lower circumference.

The earth seemed to pitch and yaw like the deck of a ship and Sango ungracefully sprawled on her knees as she lost her balance. But just as suddenly as it had started, the earth seemed to still, and Sango stared around her in surprise. A strange feeling crept up her spine, and she turned her head sharply to the right.

There, just under the shadow of the trees that dotted the far bank, stood a familiar figure with eyes more verdant and fey than the wild growth surrounding him.

"Kurama…" she breathed, eyes widening in surprise that he had managed to find her so quickly. An errant breeze whispered through his long hair, sending the ruddy flames dancing around his shoulders as it playfully circled before flowing towards her, drawing a few small petals along in its breathy wake. Sango's eyes flicked to the petals and then back to the silent kitsune.

He smiled. It was a gentle smile, but there was that strangeness in his dark eyes that had caught her up so completely before, making her breath catch and her heart speed up now as it had then, in the woods, as if there was a part of her that recognized and welcomed that snap of desire that was suddenly sizzling in the air between them. A strange longing filled her, and Sango felt her lower muscles clench in response and even in, alarmingly, anticipation.

The heat and hunger that swirled through her body was achingly similar to when Kurama had kissed her in the forest, and the feeling was just as sudden and overwhelming as a few minutes ago, when Hiei had snatched her mind up in his fierce embrace. Slipping so deeply inside her thoughts, her body had responded to his presence with a startling flood of hot desire, one that burned across her senses just as fiercely as the dark flame of his mental presence had burned across her thoughts.

The similarity of her earthy response to both demons froze Sango as her mind spun, wondering why it was so even as she burned with shame that it was. She was not a wanton, and this loss of control over a body she had had centuries to understand the physical reactions of was deeply disturbing. The peculiar response she had to both was of an intensity that alarmed her just by how sudden and fierce it was called forth, and the icy fear that this loss of control might be something akin to the madness that had swept her up for long periods of time as her rejected jyaki took revenge on her mental denial of its existence, actually restored her right to her senses, cutting through the overwhelming desire and sweeping it aside as her fingers curled into the mossy turf like it was a lifeline.

Shaking her head, she denied the reactions of her body, squelching them beneath the iron-will that had seen her through many a battle. She welcomed the denial that was so familiar to her for the things outside her control and her refusal to admit or confront them. Cowardly, yes, but the barriers she had raised around herself were easy, familiar, and made formidable by long years of a lonely existence of simple survival. Now was hardly the time for her to confront her own personal demons---though part of her ached at the crimson flash of anger that spun through Kurama's eyes, knowing that he realized her inner turmoil and denial for exactly what it was, so alive were they to each other's least nuance.

But the bloody glow of demonic anger abruptly disappeared as his green eyes widened just a moment before Sango felt the earth shudder beneath her once more. She was flipped off her knees as the ground buckled and heaved, the sound of tearing grass and groaning rock surrounding her like a roar that shook her so hard with the resonance of it that it rattled her teeth. Every time she tried to get a grip on the bucking earth, she lost her balance as it pitched beneath her. An ominous sound, like the sharp crack of a gunshot, made her stiffen and cry out as she saw a fissure racing toward her from the other side of the hill's crest.

"Anei!"

His shout sounded so far away; too far away to be of any help to her. She barely heeded it, for everything was happening so fast, she had no time to react.

Desperately summoning her jyaki, she tried to thrust her body away from the widening crack that was heading straight for her, but the ground rippled and shuddered, the very moss and dirt beneath her gripping hands tearing away her concentration even as the ground tore away underneath her body. She felt herself sliding, sinking back into the dark earth that haunted her in the deepest shadows of her bitterest memories and the most terrifying of her nightmares. Trapped inside the earth, the smell of blood and death and damp soil all around her, the stale air rank in her nose and lungs as she tried to breathe through clods of dirt that muffled her anguished screams beneath their immovable weight.

Buried alive…

_'No!' _Not again, _never_ again!

Mindlessly, she flung all of her energy out around her in a wide, furious blast that seared across her eyeballs with the white-hot glow of lightning. She felt her body jerk like a fish caught on the end of a line, flopped uncaringly about as a muffled boom beneath her shook out a scream that blasted right through her ear drums. It was as if the very earth was screeching in agony and rage, on and on, without end, until she clenched her teeth and shook like a leaf, clinging with all her might to the edge of the earth that was separating underneath her even as the hideous sound continued.

She screamed then, too, for what she had taken for the splitting of the earth by a quake's wrenching force had suddenly grown teeth---jagged, doubled rows of teeth like the gaping mouth of a shark. Each sharp fang was as long as her body and wider at the gum-line than her out-flung arms could go, for she was sliding down the smooth, saliva-coated surface even as her desperately reaching fingers tried to find something, anything, to hold on to.

The smell of old rot and musty death wafted over her in a damp warmth that carried the iron tang of fresh blood and burnt flesh in its breath. Gagging on the nauseating stench, Sango felt her feet and legs slipping free to dangle in the empty air of the gaping maw even as she slid down the single giant fang that was her salvation, for as it narrowed to its deadly point, she was finally able to get a grip on either side and hang on for dear life.

This was _not_ the kiss she'd been expecting, damn it!

ooOOooOOooOOoo

One minute he'd been staring at her kneeling on top of a low hill surrounded by a moat of agitated water, the next he had felt the ground lurch and suddenly _knew_ that that was no island she knelt upon. His warning was lost in the deafening roar that issued from the very earth as the demon buried beneath it rebelled, sounding its frustration at the dirt and virulent tangle-moss that had grown over it as it slept on undisturbed for countless years in the middle of a lake.

Koenma had once taken him aside and asked him if what Sakyo had told the young-faced prince of Spirit World was true, that he had seen creatures roaming across Demon World the size of a whole shopping mall. The young demigod had been alarmed and deeply troubled when Kurama had gravely assured him that yes, it was true, that there _were_ demons in Makai whose size rivaled the largest structures of brick and stone in human world. Rare and solitary, with the raging hunger and brute strength of a mindless D class demon, their intelligence was willingly sacrificed for their sheer bulk and the immense power that came with it. Youko had only seen one, and that from a distance. It had resembled a floating island in the middle of the sea, a viscous turtle-demon who even youkai pirates avoided as too dangerous to try and fight.

This demon was some variation on a crab-demon, for even as Kurama flung himself at the heaving mound of earth Anei was trapped so helplessly on---releasing several tentacles of his Rose Whip with both out-flung hands---the half-formed cave on the far side fell apart, exposing a giant pincer that snapped angrily at him like it would a bothersome insect. Kurama twisted out of the way just in the nick of time as the large claw clapped shut on the empty air just beneath him.

Quickly extending the length of his thorny vines, he swept the ends across the pincer's sensitive inner skin. Automatically snapping shut around the annoying disturbance, as he knew it would, it hung on to them, providing an anchor for him to twist around as he jumped from the heaving earth of its trapped body and back up and over. Water splashed up his legs, soaking his pants to the knee, as he landed in the lake's surf before launching himself back up and around again and again. Kurama poured his demonic energy into the sinewy length of his thorny vines, wrapping them tight around the struggling talons and rendering them ineffective by the thorny binding.

Landing in a braced kneel on the far bank of the forest's edge, Kurama finally released his thorny plants, their job done as they trapped the pincers in their tight embrace. He panted---leaping in circles around the demon's claw had not been easy, and doing so while concentrating his jyaki into the thorn-peppered vines had not helped.

But the giant demon was hardly overcome by having just one of its claws trapped, for Kurama was just in time to see an ominous crack separating the very hill Anei was still sprawled against. He shouted, not knowing if she could even hear him, as he realized that this odd, crab-like demon must have a second mouth located along its back, like some of the scarab demons Youko had fought before in the distant desert lands of the east.

Gathering his strength, Kurama flung himself at the lurching mound even as he watched in horror as Anei started sliding down the jagged fissure opening up along the sundered earth. He felt the wind whip past him, nearly knocking him off-balance as he leapt, and shuddered as the taiji-ya mindlessly flung all of her power in a searing blast that sunk down inside the gaping earth with a muffled boom of exploding energy. The implosion blew him back even as he struggled against it, far enough that the crab-demon's bound pincer smacked right into him. By mere chance, the angrily waving claw struck him right out of the air, sending him flying back into the giant trees swaying in agitation from the backlash of Anei's unleashed energy. He was flung bodily against a tree, and he hissed at the impact as his body thudded against the unforgiving wood. He saw stars for a moment as the back of his head smacked the sturdy bark behind it as a screech of intense pain and agony shook the very earth around him.

A thin scream threaded through the bone-jarring screech of the crab-demon's agony. Kurama's eyes snapped open in horror. _'Anei!'_

He was leaping back toward the heaving mound with a snarl of raw fury as he gathered every ounce of his considerable energy and sent it flying out in a wide sweep of poison-tipped, green thorns. His eyes glowed as red as his hair as he flung himself toward that widening gap, watching in wrenching denial as the giant mouth opened along the buried crab-demon's back, revealing a double-row of sharp teeth as the earth was flung everywhere by its struggles to break free. He saw the tiny slayer dangling from the end of a single fang half-again her size, desperately holding on for dear life as the demon's maw gaped the wider, blood oozing from the side of its injured mouth. Dirt cascaded down the sides as the creature hefted itself from the prison of its watery resting place, a second pincer pulling free from the earth even as Kurama's poison darts thudded along its back and sides.

It howled, a sound that reverberated throughout the forest, and Kurama pulled a rose forth to send out a whip that he might use to rescue Anei with, but he was a minute too late. Even as he landed against the creature's sullen red shell, clinging with one hand as his whip spiraled out from the other, he saw a shadow arc past him.

"Hiei!"

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Cursing under his breath at his tardiness, Hiei scooped the girl up in one arm even as he slid his sword free with the other. Her weight, even slight as it was, threw him off-balance enough that his strike only grazed the demon's fleshy gums. It was enough, however, for the demon's mouth to snap shut on a howl of indignation as it lurched beneath him.

Seeing threatening movement out of the corner of his eye, Hiei shifted the slayer up and over his shoulder like a sack of grain as he twisted on one foot, skidding slightly on the uneven surface before he could gain enough purchase to leap. The slayer's surprised yelp was lost in the breeze of their passage as he drew his sword's sharp point down the creature's back, though it only sparked against the hard shell, not even penetrating through the thick hide. With a curse, Hiei leapt again so that he could dump the girl, who would only get in his way.

He dropped her by a convenient tree, growling, "Stay out of the way, where it's safe," before turning back around to face the massive creature who extended six legs so that it could get up out of the lake that had sheltered it. Water poured in a veritable flood as it hefted its bulky body up, one giant pincer snapping angrily in the air as Kurama taunted it with his Rose Whip. The other, wrapped firmly in the fox's thorny plants, kept slamming against the earth, as if the creature could not understand why its claw couldn't open and was beating its frustration out on the ground around it.

A sudden thought occurred to Hiei, and he glanced back at the girl, who was already picking herself up from the untidy sprawl he had dropped her in. She looked ready to kill him.

That decided him.

Smirking, he was back by her side in a flash. Taking a hold of her chin in his free hand, naked sword kept carefully out of the way by the other, he stared into her startled brown eyes for a long, hard moment before his head dipped and his mouth caught hers.

She let out a startled gasp, muffled by the hard press of his lips against hers. It was quick, hard, more of a claiming of his prize than the slow exploration of texture and sensation that he would have preferred. Her lips were soft, warm, and strangely malleable, but he deliberately didn't give her any time to react to the fierce kiss, for as abruptly as he had claimed her mouth with his, he was just as abruptly gone, leaping away so suddenly that it probably appeared to her as if he was there one moment and gone the next.

Leaving her quickly behind, he was almost out from under the trees when he heard the wind demon's gratingly cheerful voice from somewhere above.

"Oooh---now that there be a biggy baddy worthy of a good fight, no?"

Irritated, Hiei glanced up at the swooping idiot, who couldn't quite keep the delighted grin from off his face as he started spinning one of his arms in that unimaginative Tornado Fist of his. Took the damn demon long enough---and if Jin was finally here, it probably meant Yusuke was not far behind.

"Shotgun!"

The sky brightened in a trailing blue-white blaze as it blanketed the angry monster in an eerie glow, the muffled boom of impact shuddering the ground as the giant demon fell from the shock of it along his side.

But the detective's blast had not wounded it seriously, for even as the spiritual energy dissipated, the crab-like demon was scrambling back up on its clawed legs with a roar of furious challenge.

This was not going to be easy, but nothing ever worthwhile was. Hiei shrugged, a grim smile twisting his lips up on one side as he saw his chance. Darting in, he struck the creature along the soft underside of its nearest leg, barely leaping away just in time to avoid being squashed as its considerable bulk crashed back down to the ground hard enough to rattle the trees for miles around.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Damn you, you arrogant jerk!" Sango knew her angry shout was futile, as the fire demon had already disappeared, having dropped his useless baggage and already dismissed her from his mind.

Well, this baggage was hardly useless, and she wasn't about to stay here, out of the way.

_'Out of the way, my ass!'_

She hardly ever cursed, but that three-eyed jerk could always be counted on to make her angry enough that she didn't give a good damn. And what the hell was that---that---kiss, anyway? A consolation prize for telling her he wanted her to stay safely back out of the way while he and Kurama went and took care of that crazy hill-demon? And just who did he think he was, coming back just long enough to plant one on her and then disappear like that, leaving her to stare stupidly after him, not knowing what the hell had just happened? Damn all demons---they always thought they could just take whatever they damn well pleased and never gave thought to the other person's feelings---or dignity---or---or---whatever! Oh, the arrogance of that short little bastard---like she owed him a stupid kiss just because he had caught her. Oh, she was going to kill him!

Though that ginormous demon might beat her to it. How typical for a demon to go off half-cocked without thinking through the obvious consequences of his rash actions first. What is up will always come down---especially if you cut its leg out from underneath it. If Hiei didn't want to become a pancake, he'd better move his ass out of the way, and right quick, as that mountain-sized monster was about to topple right down on top of him.

Hiei managed to move, of course, just in the nick of time. Bracing herself against the impact of the huge demon's fumble, Sango pulled her energy up just as Jin had taught her, using her flattened hands as the focus as her palms tingled with the power contained within them. When the tingle burned, she let it go, spinning sharply to add force to her throw, just as she had once done with her Haraikotsu.

The crescent-shaped blast of wind spun much like the giant boomerang, though it resembled one of Kagura's Dance of Blades more than her lost weapon. Feeding on the air stirred up by its very passage, the wind-blade sharpened and elongated until it struck the demon's exposed underside, slicing through the pulpy flesh like a knife through butter.

The demon screamed, a sound of raw fury as its free pincer snapped at the air as Jin let loose a Tornado Bomb that knocked it back off its other legs. Sango could see each of them throwing themselves at the giant monstrosity, like tiny ants fighting a giant cockroach, each using his own particular talent to strike out at the enraged demon. Yusuke was yelling obscenities as he continually blasted the demon with spiritual energy, distracting it as Kurama dove and circled, seeking to trap the crab's second talon as he had its first. Hiei was methodically working his way around the demon's length, appearing here and there to slash and stab as he used his incredible speed to circumvent the demon's considerable size.

She hadn't stood idly by watching, though, for her hands were twisting in the complicated side-over-side gesture she used to create her wind-balls, as Yusuke had so boorishly called them. Wishing she had her sword and knives---which seemed so much easier to use than the wind that was still so new to her---Sango sent the ball spinning at the demon, carefully aiming for its head, which was a weird parody of a bug's acorn-shaped face, with clicking mandibles and bulging eyes the color of blood as its fury bled the milky orbs with the reddish glow of demonic rage.

The wind-ball was a direct hit---taking an eye with it as it exploded. Sango bared her teeth and followed up with a second blade of wind, darting forward to get around the thick armor along its back. She avoided a wicked grab for her by its strangely prehensile toes. She had never seen anything like this demon---it was absolutely huge, with a strange mix of many others that seemed familiar. Like how it resembled a crab, with its giant pincers and hardened shell, but had the face of a grasshopper or beetle and the six legs of a bee, but with prehensile claws that it could use for hands or feet.

Ow---those damn legs could also give a pretty good whack when she wasn't paying enough attention. The wind she summoned died as she was tossed aside like a rag doll. She felt water close over her head, and spluttered back up to the surface to take a gasp of breath as the churning waves threatened to swamp her. She was a good swimmer, though, and managed to keep her head up just in time to see Hiei batted out of the air and drop like a stone. She didn't see his spiky head emerge and her eyes narrowed as she heard Yusuke's faint shout.

"Shit---Kurama, Hiei just went under! He can't swim---damn it, you fucking lobster---Spirit Gun!"

She was diving under the water before the flare of Yusuke's spiritual blast spread over the demon's armor-plated back, snapping the split mouth back shut as it screamed. The water was murky; silt was churned up by the restless stamping of the creature, which stood half-in, half-out of the lake it had hidden in. She sent out her chi, seeking the fire apparition's distinctive aura, and used the glowing beacon of it to grab hold of him. He fought her for a moment before realizing who it was. Wrapping her arm around him, Sango scissored her legs, frantically pumping for the surface. Finally breaking free with a gasp for the air her burning lungs were demanding, she hauled Hiei up beside her, keeping her arm locked just under his left shoulder. He spat and snarled, his hair a wet tangle around his face as his red eyes burned, his attention completely on the monster who had scuttled away from them.

"Hiei---" Sango panted, struggling to swim closer to the shore with his dead weight dragging beside her. She finally got close enough to the edge that they could stand, barely avoiding one of the demon's legs, which slammed into the water not two feet from them. Waves swamped over her and Sango's grip around Hiei's shoulder loosened as she coughed the water from her lungs. She barely registered the others' voices as they continued to fight somewhere above them.

"Damn it, why won't this thing _die?"_ Yusuke snarled. "Stupid, fucking roach---"

"Tornado Fist! Take that ye bugger---Yusuke, aim that higher, get under him there---Kurama, lad, watch out! He's about to---" Jin's warning was too late, for Sango heard the fox cry out, and Hiei stiffened beside her. Sango hissed, for the cool, wet skin under her fingers was suddenly burning hot, and she felt the apparition's jyaki blazing around him like a smoldering black flame as he gathered it in.

"Hiei, what are you---" she gasped, trying to keep a hold of him even as he turned glowing red eyes on her that showed no pupil. The Jagan in the middle of his tangled black hair was shining like a neon beacon, and his expression was terrifying, for his lips were curled back over his teeth, exposing his fangs. His aura was a fierce black blaze that swam around his body as her astral sense overlapped the actual.

_"Back," _he snarled, slipping from her loosened grip and pushing his sword into her hand. Fingers reflexively curving around the wrapped hilt, Sango fell back on her ass in the low water as he pushed her bodily out of the way. Her eyes widened and she stared transfixed as the fingers of his left hand jerked at the bandages that covered his right arm from palm to bicep. He had lost his coat somewhere in the murky water and he stood bare, muscles tightening along his back and shoulders as he turned away from her to face the retreating monster, who was now screaming in triumph as its second pincer finally broke through Kurama's vines, almost snapping Jin right out of the sky.

Ice crept down Sango's spine, setting the small hairs on her arms to standing. She didn't know what the fire demon kept bound behind those thick bandages along his right arm, but it was something that frankly scared the shit out of her. She had felt that chill of dread once before, when Inuyasha's father's sword, Sounga, had split the dimension between worlds, opening up a gate between the living world and the darkest depths of hell. Whatever Hiei had behind those sacred wrappings, it was something that came from that chillingly empty and desolate place, and it pulled at her, the Abyss calling out to her just as it had before.

She had nearly fallen into that Abyss, her mind frozen as it called on her despair and self-recrimination. It was only Miroku's grab for her that had saved her from falling right into the dark embrace of hell.

She wouldn't be dragged under again, she refused, no matter how it called to her. Gripping the hilt of Hiei's sword in both hands, she slammed it point-first into the silty bottom of the lake, wrapping herself tight around it as a cold wind rose behind her, sending the now icy waves to slap around her as her wet hair flew everywhere. That hungering menace was building as Hiei deliberately unwrapped his arm, revealing a snake-like pattern tattooed across his skin. As the last of the bandages fell away from the youkai's braced form, Sango instinctively pressed her forehead against the T-bar of katana's hard hilt and closed her eyes as she braced herself for what was to come.

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!"

His cold, angry words etched themselves across her mind in lines of dark fire, and Sango felt the winds howl around her as the beast Hiei had summoned from the blackest pits of hell launched itself up with a scream of rage and defiance that had her shivering in reaction, for its chilling screech reached right into her soul and told her in no uncertain terms that _this_ was darkness and anger in its rawest form---one that would eat its way into the very heart of its enemy and held no compassion for anything that might stand in its way. It was vengeance and hate and fury in its purest sense---both that hot, burning anger that could boil up inside a man and the cold, deadly, burning rage that could carry a woman through centuries biding her time to exact her revenge against her tormentors.

The beast screamed, and Sango's soul resonated in answer, for she had known that raw fury, in both forms, and knew that this dark dragon was the very embodiment of the strength of her hatred---the force of which had seen her through the terrible agony of her heart transplant at Shigure's callous hands and the resulting centuries of a hard and bitter existence, with only the fire of her hatred to keep her resolute on her lonely path.

Tears crept down her cheeks as she kept her eyes tightly shut and recognized it for what it was---and that the darkness that lurked inside the shadows of her soul was just as much a part of her as Kagura's demon heart. Kurama had shown her how to accept and embrace that youkai part of herself, and suddenly, the darkness was not something she had to fear and deny. For Hiei held that darkness so close and tightly contained within him that he never gave an inkling to anyone that he did. For him to hold it always so near---it humbled her, who had always denied the darker part of herself, even as it was there, such a part of her that she couldn't be who she was without it.

Swept up by that earth-shattering realization, Sango was only half-aware as the snarling dragon swirled over the giant crab-demon, whose roar turned terrified and defiant as the flying shadow wrapped around it. She could hear the others shouting, though she couldn't understand what they were saying, and the noise and shrieks rose to a crescendo of agony that had her grinding her teeth together, fighting to keep her sanity as the darkness thickened and built until it could only crash. And when it did, it did so with a rush as Hiei sucked the dragon back inside himself, standing like the center of a whirlpool that hauled the winds up after it.

Forcing her eyes open, Sango watched as that dragon---as dark and shadowy as it had appeared to her mind---curled over itself and shrank, flying at Hiei like it would devour the short demon as it had the monstrous crab. But Hiei only held up his arm, bracing himself against its return. As it closed in, it shrank, finally wrapping around his arm with a last shriek of dying wind that sent the lake's water swamping out in a cresting wave that all but knocked her over.

Choking, Sango forced herself up, yanking the sword free from the mud as she blindly lurched toward Hiei, for he had fallen to his knees with the dragon's return. He looked up at her, his eyes black-rimmed with fatigue, as she dropped to her knees in the churning water in front of him. He sneered, but the red, pupil-less iris of his eyes were mere pinpricks, his eyes closing as he abruptly slumped forward into her waiting arms.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I'm hurrying to post this before bed, I will leave a longer blerb on the next go. Thanks again for all the continued reviews and interest. It really does warm the soul. =) (Fate) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA, BAD WORDS WITH A SQUIRT OF LIME FOR FLAVORING

_**Chapter Twenty-One**_

He was still shivering. Even folded into the thick blanket of both her cloak and his, his skin remained cool to the touch. He had not awakened, even when Yusuke had met Sango at the bank of the lake to take Hiei from her. The former Spirit Detective had tenderly carried the fire demon back to the cave, Jin following slowly with a limping Kurama, who had a wrenched shoulder and deep lacerations along his side to go with his twisted ankle.

None of them had escaped the battle unscathed---Yusuke and Jin both had bruised ribs and Jin was favoring his right hand. Two of his knuckles had broken on the crab demon's armor, and his pinky finger was as thick as his thumb, with multiple fractures. Their injuries were minor, though, and would probably heal by morning with the help of their demon energy. Kurama and Hiei had drained themselves so thoroughly that their wounds would take longer to heal. Rest and making sure they stayed quiet would be the best she could do for them.

She had already checked on Kurama, who had directed her as to which herbs she could use to create a tisane to ease his pain. The kitsune was now sleeping the draught rather peacefully across from Hiei, on the opposite side of the shadowy cave. The mustard poultice she had made for his side after cleaning his wounds would help somewhat until he could regain his jyaki and recover on his own. She might have to change the poultice again in the morning, but that would give her time to make something for dinner, perhaps, though her brain was too numb to even start thinking about that right now.

She was exhausted, but she was the most fit out of all of them. Well, maybe not---Yusuke already seemed to be bouncing back, and was now doing his enthusiastic best to gather more wood for their cook-fire. Jin was taking his ease, as he called it, up on the cave's roof, snoozing in the late afternoon sun as he let his jyaki do what it needed to in order to heal his fingers. Sango had offered to splint them, but he'd just shaken his head and told her not to worry her pretty little head a bit about it.

Sango was truly concerned over Hiei. Although his friends had reassured her that it was not unusual for the fire apparition to pass out and sleep like the dead after calling on the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, she did not like how low his body temperature was. Normally, the demon was warmer to the touch than a typical youkai; it was part of his elemental nature. But he shouldn't be shivering, as if he had the chills of a fever that was not there, and Sango didn't know what more she could do besides make him comfortable.

Which he hardly looked, with no pillow but a fold her cloak for his spiky head, which was turned toward the wall. Kneeling beside him, Sango felt his forehead again, shaking her head in confusion at the cool dryness beneath her palm. He did not show any of the signs of a fever as she knew them, but she was uneasy with his continued shivering.

A sudden thought intruded, and Sango frowned. Her eyes were drawn to the dark folds that surrounded his right arm, which was hidden beneath the makeshift blanket of his trench coat, her larger cloak wrapped loosely over it. Her brows drew together, and she remembered with a shiver herself the dark dragon that lay ever seething just under the surface. With his defenses down as he slept, would the hungering shadow of the dragon follow him into his nightmares, as Naraku's mocking laughter often chased her in her darkest dreams?

One often held the darkness close, not only to embrace it to them for the strength it gave, but also to stave off the madness that it might bring. Waking Hiei was out of the question, but perhaps she could offer him the mere comfort of her presence. She had often done so with Kohaku, when bad dreams had troubled his sleep.

Ah, well, it couldn't hurt, and she wouldn't mind taking out a minute or two to rest. So she set herself down beside the oblivious fire demon, back against the wall, and pulled him over just enough so that his head rested on her thigh. She was reminded of how she had sat like this with her little brother, when he was younger, although that had been a long, long time ago. But the memory made her smile softly, and she smoothed back an errant strand of his wild black hair, glad that there was no one to see the tender gesture.

Hiei looked so innocent and peaceful as he slept, as if he were incapable of bearing the terrible darkness that lurked behind those bandages on his right arm. Yusuke had carefully rewrapped the protective bindings around the black serpent tattoo that decorated the demon's skin, tucking the ends in firmly before taking his weight from Sango so that he could carry him back to the cave. Sango had carefully dried their wet clothing, using a gentler breeze than the blast Jin had used three nights ago during the rainstorm.

Her hand hovered over his mouth, her fingers not quite touching the normally hard line that was softened in sleep. Her lashes lowered as she abruptly remembered the feel of those same lips against hers---a quick, hard pressure that was gone almost before she could even register that he was, in fact, kissing her. She flushed, her hand dropping to her side as she stared unseeingly at the stone wall across from her.

Leave it to Hiei to stop right in the middle of a damn battle just so he could claim his victory at winning Jin's stupid "test." Really, she should read nothing more into the gesture than what it was---his youkai arrogance getting the better of his sense.

Closing her eyes, she wearily leaned her head back against the cave's wall. Just a few minutes and then she would get up and see what Kurama might have in his basket that she could use to make up a rough meal. She didn't think any of them would have the energy to hunt tonight…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Kurama opened his eyes, a slight smile touching across his lips as he realized the slayer had fallen asleep. He sat up, careful of his injuries, and picked up his torn over-robe. Anei had draped it over him like a blanket after she had carefully cleaned the deep lacerations along his side. Strips had been torn from his shirt to make a rough bandage to hold the mustard pack in place. She had ministered his wounds with a gentle and deft efficiency, no stranger to rough first aid.

He sighed, rather envious of how Hiei's head rested on her lap. She was slumped against the cave wall, her chin almost resting on her hunched shoulder. She would get a crick in her neck if she slept like that for too long, and the dark circles under her eyes were telling. She had used a lot of energy herself in fighting the crab-demon and would need time to recover it.

Hiei grimaced in his sleep and tucked his head into the fold of her cloak as he shivered lightly. Kurama frowned, concerned by the demon's exhaustion and low reserves. He had fed a lot of his jyaki into the Dragon, which always demanded a high price for its summoning. But the enormous crab-demon had taken time for even the formidable Dragon of the Darkness Flame to subdue and overcome, and Hiei had fed more of his power into it than even when he had battled the rogue detective, Sensui. Kurama didn't like to think how much he had used; it would take more time for the apparition to recover, and the only thing any of them could do for him was to keep him warm and quiet.

Which would give _him_ just enough of an excuse to go curl up with them. Kurama smiled, shaking his head over his own silent need for self-justification, and gingerly got up long enough to resettle himself beside them. Careful of his wrenched shoulder and to avoid reopening any of his wounds, he coaxed Anei down, with Hiei curled against her. Using his over-robe as a blanket between them---lest Hiei wake up offended that he slept so close beside him---he used Hiei's coat to cover the sleeping pair and drew Anei's longer cloak over all of them. He felt Hiei shift slightly away from him, and sighed. Already their shared warmth had eased Hiei's shivering, and Kurama could feel his own eyes growing heavy with sleep. Relaxing beside the two of them, he finally let himself, certain that Yusuke and Jin could take care of everything else.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Will you look there at that? All curled up like puppies they is."

Yusuke shrugged. "Seems smart to me. They're all low on demon energy, and only forty winks'll set 'em straight."

"Oh, I don't be saying there's anything wrong with it. Surprising, is all." Jin smirked, as if he suddenly realized something Yusuke didn't. When the detective shot him a questioning look, the wind demon only returned his shrug and said lightly, "Oh, nothing it is but me envious that the wee mite gets to lay his pointy head on me fair Lily's sweet bosom. A softer pillow I can ne'er imagine."

"You're a real perv, you know that, Jin?" Yusuke shook his shaggy head, turning to leave the three of them alone to sleep it off.

"Ah, don't be acting all pure and saintly, lad. I dare to think the same thought's crossed your mind a time or two, eh, Urameshi?" Jin elbowed him in the ribs, carefully keeping his right hand out of the way.

Yusuke snorted, but shot his incorrigible friend a grin that said he was right.

"Ah, well, best to leave these three alone for now. I'm a wee bit hungry, lad, and seeing as it's just us, I've a mind to see what Kurama might have in that wee little basket of his."

"Yeah. I don't feel comfortable leaving the cave. You ain't that healed yet."

"And ye are?" Jin looked at him askance as they ducked back outside.

Yusuke shrugged. "I feel fine, now. A bit sore, earlier, but that's gone."

Jin gave him a long, measuring look, his normally merry blue eyes growing serious. "You know, lad, that you've become much stronger than I since last's we fought."

"What---this morning?" Yusuke smirked. "I thought I was doing a pretty good job of kicking your ass, Jin, until that damn demon showed up."

"Aye, you were." The taller demon turned away abruptly, stalking to the hill's edge and staring out at the forest beyond. The wind stirred, lightly rippling the demon's clothing as the wide line of his shoulders tightened.

A dark brow rose in question as Yusuke silently regarded his friend.

The youkai's words were low, his odd accent thick as he said slowly, "I've no liking for that, I must admit. To be so weak---it doesna sit that well with me. Knowing that you've grown so much stronger than I."

Yusuke crossed his arms, wondering where Jin was going with this.

The Shinobi turned his head just enough to look back at his friend. His smile was rueful. "You and I---we're much alike, aren't we, Urameshi? I think you might comprehend what drives me so---to fight, and to get stronger. To be using me own fists on a man, when I could so easily use the wind?"

Brown eyes warm with complete understanding, Yusuke only said shortly, "Yeah. I know."

Jin faced the forest once more, his fists curling at his sides. "'Tis why I've stayed Shinobi so long---to learn all I can, and use what I've learned, and to be of some use whilst doing what it is that I truly love."

"Yeah?" Yusuke could understand that, too. He was curious about the wind apparition's past, but Jin just shook his head.

"It's not enough anymore, Urameshi. I thought it could be---but after the Dark Tournament, and seeing you all again, well, it's just---not."

Yusuke waited, knowing Jin was working out whatever he needed to and would take time to get to the point.

Jin glanced back at him again, his blue eyes troubled. "You'll be remembering the true reason we Shinobi agreed to take part in the Dark Tournament?"

Yusuke nodded. Looking around for the nearest rock, he sat himself and leaned forward so he could drop his elbows on his knees. "Yeah, I do. You were promised Hanging Neck Island if you won."

"It was a place we wanted, a place we could call our own. We don't have that, being Shinobi. We guard all, but have nothing. 'Tis the way of it, the way it's always been. To keep us untied to any place, or anyone, with no loyalty or worry of those left at home to cloud our judgment. 'Tis a rootless life, but we're not free, for still we answer to those above us, who have life or death over us, and we go by their whims, and not our own. It's a freedom from care, yes, but no a true freedom, you see."

Yusuke's dark gaze was troubled as he said quietly, "I'm sorry you lost, Jin. If anyone deserved to have their wish granted, it was you guys."

Jin smiled faintly. "Aw, it's no so bad to be beaten fair and square and by a man such as yourself, Urameshi. It was a good long fight we had, and even Touya would be the first to say that. Unlike most of the bouts we engage in, it was an honorable loss. That counts for a lot, lad."

The wind demon shrugged. Stalking over, he seated himself across from the Mazoku. "Besides, it was Touya who truly desired a place of his own. He dislikes being a Guardian even more than I, for he's no say in who his sect-brothers are. There's more like that earth-turd Risho---who've no honor in 'em even worth the bother of spitting at---in our ranks than not, sad as am I to the admitting of it."

Jin shook his head. "But I think the island was just a symbol to him, to Touya, I mean. What it is we both want is just to be free to make our own choices and our own decisions, to pursue what it is we would like and to have friends and shield-brothers worthy of the name, yes?"

"Why do you stay, then, Jin? If you and Touya hate it so much, why bother?" Yusuke demanded, for both of those demons deserved more than that.

"Ah, well, it's no so simple a thing, lad." Jin frowned. "There's our oaths to consider, and our honor. We gave our word, both of us, agreeing to be taught by our Masters, and to be bound by their laws. We were young, yes, but we were old enough to the agreeing to it and knowing what it meant. 'Tis truth that I sought only to learn whatever I could to get stronger, and that was enough to keep me content for a long time. But it's just _not_ now, for the worthiest opponent it is I have ever met has soundly beaten me, and it would have been twice now, if that wee little crabby hadn't crawled out of the earth and interrupted us."

'Wee little crabby' was a little on the flip side. The understatement made Yusuke grin, for only Jin could ever put it in such an irreverent way. He ran a hand through his shaggy hair, again wishing he had some gel to slick it back, and stirred uncomfortably as Jin gave him a long look.

"I don't think, Urameshi, that you know what it is you do to a youkai, just by being yourself. You make him question his own reasons for the things he does, and make him wonder if there isn't more that he _could_ be doing. I don't know if Demon World is ready for you, for you're one of those rare ones who has the way of turning everything inside out and right on its head, and I don't think you'll ever be grasping that."

Yusuke gave the Shinobi a dubious look. "You sure you didn't get knocked on the head a bit by that wee demon, Jin, and get a case of the crabs? Because you're sure ain't making a lot of sense right now."

Jin burst out laughing, the tension easing from him as he let it go. "Ah, it should be interesting, it should, Urameshi! And I do think ye've just given me enough of a reason not to care what dishonor I have for breaking me word to the Shinobi. And I think it might be that Touya will finally agree, for there's changes a'coming, there is. I just don't know if Makai will be that ready for it!"

Yusuke just raised a thick brow, which set the wacky wind-bag off again. He waited impatiently for the demon to quit howling, hating the fact that he didn't understand the joke. But he had to smile when Jin finally wiped the tears from his eyes and grinned back at him, for that spark of light was back in the merry blue gaze. Jin looked like he had somehow found a new purpose, though Yusuke couldn't quite explain what it was or how he had had anything to do with it. He was just glad Jin was over that somber fit of his, for the crazy bastard made one sorry ass wet blanket, damn it.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Something was tickling her forehead. Sango stirred drowsily, her eyes opening slowly as morning intruded. She was warm and curled around a firm weight that lay against her chest, though the sensation was not unwelcome. The odd, sleepy thought roused her, and she looked down, surprised at the spiky black head that nestled against her. His cheek lay along the curve of her breast, his arm draped along her waist and hip, his fingers loosely brushing her lower back. But her arm was across his back, holding him close, and he slept so soundly, turned into her warmth, that she could not hide the soft expression it evoked.

The tickle against her forehead returned, and she blinked up at the fine red hair that was brushing her skin. Her eyes widened as she realized that Kurama was curled around both of them, his head close to hers as they lay on either side of the fire apparition. The fox's right arm was bent under his cheek to form a pillow, the other arranged along his side, as if careful not to touch the fire demon who lay between them---though it just might have been that he was trying to keep his wrenched left shoulder still.

He must have felt her eyes upon him, for even as she watched, the thick lashes stirred and his eyes opened, revealing the dark green richness of their verdant depths.

She blushed, disconcerted by his enigmatic gaze, and his mouth curved in a gentle smile. "Good morning," he whispered, his breath warm on her cheek.

"Hi." What an incredibly lame thing to say, and she was mentally kicking herself even as she said it, the heat rising up her cheeks. She glanced down at Hiei, wondering if she could disentangle herself without disturbing him, and just how quickly she might.

"You don't have to get up," Kurama said softly.

Sango couldn't meet his eyes. She needed to, actually, for she couldn't believe the compromising position she found herself in and wanted to die of pure embarrassment. But Hiei seemed to somehow sense her wish to withdraw, for his contrary ass was turning even more into her, his cheek rubbing restlessly against her rising nipple as he muttered in his sleep. His bandaged arm tightened around her waist, hugging her to him like a giant body pillow.

"He shouldn't be awakened," Kurama said mildly. Sango shot him a look, but he returned her suspicion with a bland expression.

"It's our body warmth---it helps to keep his thermal temperature high enough so that he doesn't have to expend the extra energy to warm himself," Kurama explained. His calm, logical tone actually relaxed Sango, for it gave her an excuse not to feel so mortified by the way she was lying under her cloak with two male youkai.

She nodded slightly, to show her understanding, and sighed, letting the tension go from her shoulders as she relaxed back into the sleepy warmth. Hiei seemed to take it as a signal to settle even more into her side, and she stiffened right back up as he turned his face into the valley between her breasts, his slow, even breaths warming her skin even through the fabric of her clothing. Color flooded her cheeks as her breath caught at the disturbingly erotic feeling, and her eyes flickered up to meet Kurama's, who was smiling faintly, his expression a bit wry.

"It's early yet," he said, his voice the merest whisper. Sango could hear the distinctive snores of both Yusuke and Jin lying somewhere beyond them, and the grey-blue shadows of just before dawn were still thick around the cave.

She looked up, meeting his eyes. "Are you feeling better?" she asked, concerned, for he had been injured as well.

"Yes."

She nodded, wondering what else she might ask and if she should even bother. It was rather intimate, talking with him like this with Hiei lying between them. He didn't say anything, but she could feel his eyes still on her, so she closed hers to escape just how self-conscious it made her feel.

She must have fallen asleep again, for when she next awoke, Kurama was gone, as were Yusuke and Jin, for the cave was quiet. The shadows were thicker, as the light of day cast a starker contrast to the deep-set interior of the cave. Hiei was no longer plastered against her, but it was still a task to extricate herself without disturbing him. He rolled into the warmth left by her body, oblivious, but she could sense that his energy, though still low, had returned enough that she was no longer needed.

Running a distracted hand through her tangled hair, Sango walked outside, wondering if the rest of them were out there and what they might have to say about last night's sleeping arrangements. Jin and Yusuke had a bad habit of teasing her over anything they could get away with. She knew she'd probably be in for it, and was wary as she stepped outside.

She needn't have worried, though, for the Mazoku and the wind apparition were distinctly absent from the rocky hilltop. Kurama was there, relaxing against the wall as he mended his torn shirt with her needle and thread. Sango blushed upon seeing him, but he only smiled.

"Good morning, Anei."

"Uh…good morning." She didn't know what to do with her hands, which was strange, for she was not one to fidget. Still, she had the absurd notion to bury them in her pockets, and felt all twitchy and hyper-aware of the kitsune's regard. Shrugging uneasily, she went to her belongings, which were piled haphazardly beside the cave's entrance, to look for her comb so she could at least tie up her hair.

"Oh---my apologies, but I borrowed your comb." Kurama extended it, and Sango blushed again as she took it from him. She could not meet his eyes, and her embarrassment and tension must have been obvious, for Kurama said softly, "Anei, are you all right?"

"Of course," she replied easily, though she was tapping the comb on the open palm of her other hand as she bit her lip. She was acting like an idiot, but couldn't seem to stop herself.

"Anei---"

"Everything is fine, Kurama, truly." Sango turned away, and then paused. She had been purposefully avoiding the kitsune ever since that day he had kissed her in the forest, and the strain of it was driving her crazy. She wasn't one who normally backed down from a confrontation, but she had been doing just that, and all because she had no idea where to even start, but that was completely ridiculous. Kurama had just been caught up in the moment, as her acceptance of the jyaki surrounding them had heightened the energies to where he could not help himself. So it was really _her_ fault that he had been caught up like that, for it was probably just her untrained jyaki seeping out of her in a joie de vive like it had when she had influenced those demons to a maddened blood-lust.

So it was up to her to apologize, and try and explain, for the silent strain of her avoidance was not his fault, either, and he didn't deserve that.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back. "Kurama, I…wanted to…explain. And apologize. About what happened the other day, in the forest---just before we met Jin."

Looking up at her, he waited quietly, the needle stilled in his lap.

"Um, well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Sango blushed, feeling even more like an idiot beneath his patient gaze. Emotions had never been easy for her to deal with, even more so after deliberately ignoring them for so many years. She felt like a teenager again, and her normal poise had deserted her. So she rushed it out before she turned coward again. "For…influencing you. For making you…kiss me. I know that we were both caught up in the moment, and that it was probably just my jyaki going out to, well, to…"

"Anei."

She watched as he deliberately set his mending aside to stand up. She couldn't seem to stop staring at him, for his compelling green gaze had caught hers and she couldn't look away. Her head tilted back as he drew closer to her, for there was nearly a foot between them in height. She hadn't realized just how tall he was when standing next to her. It was a bit intimidating, and she reflexively took a step back.

His left hand shot out to lightly grip her wrist. "Wait."

She trembled at his touch, for his fingers were warm and her reaction startling. She could feel her breath coming short and her heart speeding up. It confused her, and she suddenly wanted to run.

"Please."

His quiet request, the plea mirrored in his green eyes and grave expression made her come to her senses. This was _Kurama_, who had been nothing but kind to her, and she was just over-reacting.

She deliberately relaxed, nodding slightly so he would know that he could let her wrist go. He didn't, though. Instead, his thumb was lightly smoothing over the sensitive flesh at the base of her palm. It sent butterflies dancing in her stomach, and she swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.

"It wasn't that."

His voice was soft, deep, like honey. Like then, in the forest.

"Then what was it?" she whispered, uncertain why she was trembling and why it was suddenly so hard to breathe.

His right hand rose, his fingertips tracing a delicate path along the curve of her cheek. The gesture was achingly tender. "It's you."

She closed her eyes as his warm palm cupped her cheek, his thumb gently grazing her bottom lip. She drew in a sharp breath of pain at the simple, overwhelming gesture. It was something she had not felt in so very, very long. But there were reasons why she had not, reasons that she could not abandon now when they were so nearly in her grasp.

So she turned her head sharply away, jerking her wrist out of his grasp and deliberately wrapping her arms around herself like a shield. She could feel Kurama stiffen behind her, and her eyes and nose burned with the tears of regret that she refused to let fall, damn it, for she had chosen her path long before and it didn't matter, it _didn't_.

She couldn't let it, for it might shatter her if she did.

But she owed him more than just a cold withdrawal, for it was not his fault, and a part of her still believed that he deceived himself. He had just been caught up in the moment, and how could he not? For he was so empathic, and who knew how her own feelings had seeped out of her that day to influence him? But she thought that _he_ believed it was more, and she could humor that delusion, one that he would abandon eventually, given enough time.

She turned back to face him, her eyes probably too bright and her voice too husky. "Kurama, please understand, it's not you. I---there is just too much that I, that I---have to do. My brother…Naraku…"

There was a veil over his expression, one that hadn't been there before. He nodded once, the motion both sharp, understanding, and dismissive. That control of his that she envied so much was back, the walls firmly in place. She should have been glad, for it made it easier to put her own walls back up, but instead it just made her sad.

So much had over the long years. And perhaps that was why she felt the need to explain to him that it wasn't him, but her, for she knew very well how carefully separating yourself from others, keeping your emotions contained and your inner self hidden could end up costing you so very much. If her own reasons hadn't been so strong, than that cost might not have even been worth it.

"Kurama, please don't think it's you. If I were---if things were different---you---I never thought that I could ever find again someone who---I could trust so completely. Who could be so kind. Who makes me feel as if there was more to life than…"

_'Hatred and vengeance…betrayal and pain…'_

But those were hers. Her reasons and her thoughts to keep tight within her, for bitter as they were, they kept her steadfast to her cause.

"I understand." His voice held no inflection, and he turned stiffly away, as tightly shielded as she. She couldn't bear it, not for him, who had such a giving heart. One she had once had herself, but one the countless, empty years had stolen from her. He had managed somehow to keep what she had not, and she didn't want him to ever close that off. She couldn't have stood it.

So her hand shot out to stop him, as his had hers, though she grabbed his upper arm, which was bare, for he wore only his sleeveless over-robe, his shirt having been abandoned with her needle and thread when he stood up. His skin was warm under her touch, the muscles tensing as he froze, not looking at her.

"Please---Kurama, I don't like that we---"

"But we aren't." He finally turned his head to look at her. His smile was gentle and reassuring, but it did not reach his eyes, which were closed to her reading. She thought she saw sadness there, but she must have been mistaken, for it was gone, replaced by a wistful good humor. His reaction surprised her so much that she let his arm go when he gently pulled it free from her grasp.

"I understand, Anei. I do. Please accept my sincere apology for behaving in such a crass manner. It was an impulse of the moment, and I beg your forgiveness for it."

She blinked in sudden confusion, for somehow he had managed to twist their roles around, and he was somehow apologizing to _her_ for what _she_ had done to _him_.

"I hope this will not affect our friendship---for I hope that we have come to know each other enough in the past eight days that you would consider me that---a friend."

Had she but imagined that he had cupped her cheek in his palm? That he had said that he was drawn to her, and that it was not impulse? But she was suddenly uncertain, for he was so sincere in his plea for forgiveness, and his bearing was so different now, solicitous and…courteous. Friendly.

"Of…of course." She stuttered it out, still confused by the sudden change in his demeanor, and wondered if she was losing her mind, imagining feelings that had never even been there.

"I'm glad." He seemed sincere, and she bit her lip, still not quite sure how this had suddenly turned into---

But her thought was abruptly cut off as her spiritual sense went wild, screaming at her that there was someone or something both dangerous and powerful approaching. She spun just as Kurama tensed, a rose already in his hand as his green eyes narrowed. Sango backed up a step and then dove for her sword, pulling it free and holding it ready as she crouched defensively by the kitsune's side. The three beings who suddenly materialized on the hilltop had such concentrated raw power between them that it had her hands tightening on her hilt as adrenaline flooded her limbs in instinctive reaction.

The youkai each wore the face of humanity, sporting the bald head and austere uniform of a monk, though embroidered and with more of a military cut. Their short, grey-blue robes left plenty of room to maneuver. They were tall and broad-shouldered, though the one in the middle stood a few inches shorter than his companions. He appeared the leader, for he stopped the one on his left with a single word as the apparition bristled, his eyes narrowing on their drawn weapons.

"Touhou."

The demon subsided, though his aggressive gaze raked both of them with disdain as he did. He had a nose on him that could have plowed a field, though it appeared he had broken it sometime in the past.

"I don't know what business you have with us, strangers, but I am interested to know why you have come here so unexpectedly," Kurama said courteously enough, but his voice was sharp and cold. He did not loosen his grip on the rose held in his hand.

"Please. We wish no argument with you." The shorter man stepped forward to bow. His smile did not reach his eyes. "We are here to speak with Yusuke Urameshi."

"Why?" Kurama demanded, his fingers tightening imperceptibly on the thorny rose as Sango's brown eyes narrowed.

"None of them have been sent by Spirit World," she advised the fox to dispel that notion, if he had had it. King Yama still had a price out on Yusuke's head, after all.

"That is correct," the leader reassured them as the aggressive one, Touhou, stared at Sango.

"You are a human." His eyes glittered, and he suddenly looked hungry.

Sango's lip curled in disgust as she bared her teeth. "I'm also a demon slayer who rather enjoys what I do for a living."

"Anei." It was Kurama's turn to interfere as she traded glares with the odious jerk.

Ignoring Kurama's cautionary warning, she slid her dark gaze to Touhou's leader. He had a nose on him that was sharp enough to slice through anything. The third had a distinctively hooked beak, and strangely, he kept his eyes closed and did not open them once during the entire meeting.

"I want to know who you are and who you are with, and you will tell me, now." The ice in her voice was matched by the sharp glitter in her dark eyes. Kurama seemed surprised by the sudden change in her, but she had been too long a taiji-ya not to know what kind of powerful demons she was dealing with. And demons this arrogant were never ones to treat lightly.

"A fair enough question." Pointy Nose nodded his respect, but smoothly reasserted his dominance of the situation with that simple phrase. This was a demon used to command and having those commands carried out both quickly and without question. Sango wondered if Kurama had caught the subtle commandeering of the conversation.

The kitsune had, for he snatched it back by his own gracious nod and assertion, "A fair question indeed. And one I am assured you will answer promptly."

Checked by the red-haired demon's subtle goading and calm demeanor, Pointy Nose bowed his head, a faint smile of acknowledgement gracing his lips. This time it was in his eyes. "Allow me to introduce my colleagues. Seitei," he gestured to his right, and the bald man bowed his head slightly, "and Touhou." Touhou's nod was perfunctory, his sneer still evident.

"I am Hokushin." His bow was deeper than before, more respectful, though his dark eyes narrowed slightly. "And you, if I may assert, are Youko Kurama, whose name is known throughout Demon World." He turned to Sango. "Your name, however, my lady, escapes me…?"

"You may call me Anei," Sango said coldly, her manner as withdrawn and haughty as a duchess, now every inch the professional assassin who had worked for the mighty King Yama and dealt with many a pompous ass in the past. "It is as good as any other that I have been called."

Kurama gave her a sharp look of question, but Sango ignored it. That last remark had been too hasty and arrogant, and a bit too revealing. She deflected the thorny problem by demanding sharply, "Now that we have introduced ourselves, perhaps you would be so kind as to tell us what business it is you have with our friend Yusuke. For we don't take prevarication lightly."

Hokushin smiled. "I cannot fault your loyalty, Miss Anei. The Spirit Detective is lucky to have---"

"The Spirit Detective is lucky to have what?"

Yusuke was suddenly there, a suspicious Jin floating at his elbow. He put his fists on his hips and stared the three demons down with a decidedly suspicious gaze. Taken aback by the Mazoku's sudden appearance, the monks actually looked at each other, as if discomfited by the boy's gaze, which could be rather intense at times.

Yusuke smirked. "What, cat got your tongue?" He turned to Kurama. "Shame on you, Kurama, for holding out on me. I didn't know you were going to get a surprise party going for my birthday. Though it wasn't exactly polite of you to invite guys I've never even met. That's not exactly the kind of surprise I was hoping for."

Jin's face screwed up as he tried to keep from laughing. Even Sango had a hard time keeping her amusement from showing. Kurama didn't even bother, though his warm gaze never left the three monks as he smiled faintly.

Ignoring their reactions, Yusuke walked forward so that he was positioned in front of his friends, who automatically ranged themselves behind him. Sango was discomfited to find herself neatly sandwiched between Kurama and Jin, neither of who took their eyes from the three demons.

Assuming a negligent pose that was belied by the intensity of his gaze, Yusuke demanded, "Now, Mr. Clean, why don't you start explaining just what you are doing here?"

Hokushin's gaze was measuring, though not cautious. He straightened, regaining his arrogant aplomb as he said simply, "We are here at the behest of our King, the Master of War, Toushin Raizen."

Kurama's eyes narrowed as Jin stiffened. Sango suddenly remembered that the kitsune had said that this forest was located in the disputed borderlands between the demon-king's and Reikai-claimed territories. She wondered idly what the King would want with Yusuke.

"So?" Yusuke drawled, his head tilting slightly to the side as his eyes narrowed. "I don't know the guy."

"Oh, but you do, Mr. Urameshi. For our great King is your ancestral father, and he has requested an audience with you." Hokushin's eyes glittered as he waited for their reaction after dropping that particular bomb.

"Really? Well, that's convenient."

Sango blinked, not certain if Yusuke was being sarcastic or not, for he said the words so mildly. But his voice hardened, as did the thick line of muscle along his shoulders.

"Because I've been wanting to wrap my hands around that fucking bastard's throat for a while now, and how convenient of him to come to me, thus saving me the trouble of finding his sorry ass myself."

His smile did not reach his eyes.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I must warn that part of the story will get choppy here, for I don't want to totally retell the Three Kings Saga of YYH, just twist it to my own purposes. So certain scenes that I could include, I will not. I will give a hazy description, but I will not rewrite what was so well written in the original version. If you are unfamiliar with the YuYuverse, please feel free to email me with any questions, and I can and will try to answer as best I can. (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Twenty-Two**_

Eying the lightning that flickered in the distance, Sango tugged her hood down a little further as she turned her eyes back to the front, where Kurama was walking so calmly beside the blind warrior-monk, Seitei. They exchanged a few comments from time to time, though neither was exactly what one would call verbose, and they mainly walked in a companionable enough silence. She kept her eyes on the monk, still unable to trust any of them, though Seitei was ten times better than that hostile oaf, Touhou.

She disliked Touhou immensely, and the feeling was frankly mutual. He exemplified what she had always detested about most demons; their arrogance and innate sense of superiority and the contempt for others they considered less than they. The fact that he was not all that intelligent but thought he was did not help matters much, and the fact that he was stronger than her in demonic energy, if not cunning, did not help her own unease around him. How such a snide, aggressive meathead like him could ever have grown so powerful as to become an A class demon was beyond her, but then she had to admit that he was both stubborn (if dense) and strong (if transparent.) And she had to give him credit, albeit grudgingly, that he was, at least, loyal to his King.

Even though that King was dying of malnutrition and growing weaker by the day. Even though that King was starving himself in what most demons would consider a fanatic, insane idealism taken too much to an extreme, for it was slowly killing him. Even though Sango, herself, being human, could find nothing wrong with Raizen's personal vow never to eat human flesh again, it had to be galling to his devoted followers, who saw nothing wrong with it.

And, strangely enough, neither did Yusuke.

Now there was a quandary that left Sango frankly bewildered. For Yusuke had been a Spirit Detective, recruited by the Reikai Prince Koenma to protect humans from the marauding demons who wandered into human world from time to time. And up until a week or so ago, Yusuke had been completely human himself. And while she did admit that the ex-detective had made a point, and a fair one---that you couldn't fault another for their choice of eating habits, that it was just as wrong for someone to judge a demon for eating people as it was a vegetarian to judge a wolf for being what its nature was---well, the idea just didn't sit all that well with her. She was a _taiji-ya, _damn it. She had been raised to protect people from those very demons who saw them only as cattle. And she couldn't abandon that fact, at least not as easily as Yusuke could.

Sango sighed. She wronged the detective, for it wasn't like he was helping these demon monks catch a human or two for dinner and offering to cook them up. And he had made a valid point, that there were plenty of awful people in the world who she wouldn't mind feeding to a demon herself. And it wasn't as if some of these demons had a choice in what they ate---she knew full well that there were certain types who could only eat humans, and nothing else. But for most demons there _was_ a choice, and just because eating people for some strange reason gave a demon more power, thus letting him get stronger faster, didn't make it right to do so.

Not that people were any better. Most, when given the option, would take the quick road and not the long way around to get at what they wanted. So she could understand, theoretically, why a demon, when given the choice, would go on a strictly human diet, since devouring humans wholesale allowed a demon to grow in both strength and power ten times faster than not. And the terrible price of that fact was that once a demon had been eating only humans for a long enough period of time, he could no longer consume anything else, even if he tried.

Which was exactly what was happening to this demon king, Raizen. For some unknown reason, the great Toushin had suddenly decided that he would no longer support the eating of humans by demon-kind, and challenged his followers and his colleagues to do the same, and even went on a personal hunger-strike in support of his cause. That was more than a mind-boggling seven hundred years ago, and now the great King was paying the price for his refusal, for there was nothing else he _could_ eat.

Sango shook her head. It was all too much for her, and that was only a part of the whole story. The fact that this great demon king was Yusuke's father---well, genetically speaking, as he was the demon who had to have lain with a human ancestor of the detective's in order to produce the Mazoku gene that was awakened when Yusuke was killed by Sensui---that added a whole other dimension to this strange journey. For Yusuke thoroughly intended to go and kick his demon-dad's ass, as he so bluntly put it, while these three youkai followers of Raizen's had baldly stated that they needed Yusuke, and desperately. For their king was dying, and his enemies, held off only by the King's formidable reputation, were circling like vultures, waiting for the time they could strike. And they needed Yusuke, as Raizen's only "son," to join their forces and hold off their enemies as best they may after the king's imminent death.

They had come to recruit him to their cause, hoping that Raizen's anti-human-eating policies would persuade the ex-detective to join them. For the balance of power in Makai was precariously perched between three powerful demons who ruled their territories by strength of arm and the polarization of their ideals. While the humans-as-food question was a big one, it wasn't the main one, actually. As with anything in politics, the reasons the three kings hated each other were both numerous and complicated. A simplistic breakdown that Hokushin had offered was that one king represented tradition and chaos (which was an odd mix, to Sango's way of thinking, but then she was hardly in a position to pass judgment on how a demon's mind could work) and the other represented change and peace, under himself as dictator, of course. And while it should have been fairly obvious that the peace-loving modern thinker would appeal to the seemingly human-sympathizing Raizen, that particular king also had the nasty desire to unify all of Makai so that they could then go take over living world and feed on humans to their heart's desire---or so Hokushin had explained it.

Though how far could they trust Hokushin's word, for he was Raizen's second-in-command and obviously biased. And he might have been over-exaggerating the other king's evil aims, just to add a little more persuasion to his rather elegant argument on his own king's behalf. Yusuke certainly didn't, though he also seemed to have formed a grudging respect for the strange, elastic warrior, even bending enough to joke with him this afternoon and then challenge him to a race.

Which was where they were now---racing on ahead of their slower pace. Touhou, of course, had taken the Mazoku up on his challenge; his insipid arrogance could not have allowed for less. The broken-nosed belligerent was still smarting over the fact that Yusuke had beaten Hokushin with one powerful swing, twisting the stretchy-necked demon's head around in a move Yusuke had grinningly called a literal case of "rubber-necking."

`That terrible pun had made even Jin groan, though it was rather apt. Sango shook her head. Leave it to Yusuke to make light of what was actually an astonishing show of strength. Beating an S-class demon like Hokushin was something even Sango wasn't certain she could do, and she had years of experience in fighting demons. Taking on an opponent like that, though---she'd never fought higher than an A class demon, and even then she had done so with plenty of fore-planning and surprise on her side. An assassin under the Spirit King's command couldn't be too choosy over the tasks assigned them, but that was scant consolation to the dishonor she had felt in taking the demon out that way.

That memory didn't sit too well with her, but there were many other dark deeds she had done over the years that she didn't exactly like to think too hard about, either. She had once been able to defend herself with the pathetic lie that any and all demons deserved what they got, for they were inherently evil. But ever since she had come to Makai, that bitter illusion had been pretty much shattered, and it left her in a place of uncertainty that was far from comfortable.

So she ignored it, as she was so good at doing, and turned her mind to other things. Like how far off that storm might be, and if they would make camp for the night or press on into the darkness like they had the night before. She didn't know if she could manage to do that two days in a row---she wasn't as powerful and resilient as the others were, hard as that was for her to admit. She was comforted, at least, by the fact that Kurama had similar limitations. And Hiei, wherever the hell he had gone off to, was still recovering his demonic energy and could probably use the rest as well.

The fire apparition had given the three warrior-monks short shrift---one flat stare and a raised brow in Yusuke's direction, who only shrugged and grinned---and the demon had accepted their presence. That didn't mean he suffered it, though, for Hiei had vanished into the forest, only coming back around dinner-time with game, which he had dropped by the fire without saying a word. He slept inside the cave that night with the rest of them, though Sango had made certain she slept by herself this time, so as not to give anyone ideas. The monks had been courteous enough to bunk outside, though Hiei had stationed himself just inside the entrance with a look that dared anyone to say a word about it.

They hadn't, of course. None of them were that stupid.

The fire demon had vanished again, once Jin had taken his leave of them to report back to his Shinobi Masters, and they had set out with Hokushin and the rest for Raizen's fortress. They had left the Forest of Fools behind sometime around midday, and the landscape had changed over the past two days, going from hills to the flat plains they were now traversing. Thankfully, it was still what seemed to be late spring in Makai, so the days were not as unbearably hot as they would probably be in summer, if the wide plains of this world were like Ningenkai's.

Sango missed Jin's cheerful exuberance more than she cared to admit. She had gotten used to his chatter over the last few days, and now the quiet she would normally have treasured felt oddly empty, as if something was missing. It could have been the wide open lands they were walking through. Born and raised in the mountains, she always felt too exposed and uneasy under so much open sky. It was hard to judge distances---the storm that appeared close might be miles off yet, and the flat grasslands didn't give much of a mile marker. They had to be making progress, though, for the brown smudge in the distance had grown larger, though still it was far away.

The rest of the journey was much the same, though they did eventually break from the grasslands and into more broken country. But that only led into a desert wasteland that stretched as far as the eye could see. They met and saw no one along their path, though Hiei must have, for one night when he appeared at their campsite he casually dropped three filled packs beside Sango and Kurama as they made a sketchy dinner. Inside were journey rations and water bottles, which came in handy once they reached the towering mesas of the desert.

The desert was where Sango finally caught a glimpse of Makai's hidden sun. The fuschia-colored sky had always provided too thick a veil for the sun to break through, but at the end of the sixth day of their journey, the pink haze broke long enough for her to watch the sun set. It had been an awesome sight, for the golden fury of the setting sun had splashed fire across the reddened sky, turning the normally soft shadows stark. Sango had stood up, mesmerized by the simple sight and realizing suddenly just how much she had missed it. Bathed in the last golden rays of its warmth, she had closed her eyes and savored the feel of it on her skin.

She must have looked like a simpleton, for she had suddenly felt twitchy, like someone was watching her, and she had turned her head sharply to see everyone staring. She would have demanded what was wrong, but she had then caught sight of Hiei in the sun-slanted shadows of a rocky pillar just past them. Black on black, his eyes glowing redder than the bloody fire of the setting sun. There had been something about his standing there so still, his expression so cold but his eyes so blazing, that had made her shiver, though she would never admit to anyone that poignant reaction.

Kurama had suddenly stood, his manner brusque, and said rather mildly, "See, Anei? I told you that demon world had a sun. The view is quite breath-taking, isn't it?"

Yusuke had smirked, and the other three demons had stirred uncomfortably, carefully not looking in her direction. Sango had frowned, and asked Yusuke later as they went to refill their canteens alone at the small trickle of water in the lee of some rocks what all that was about.

"Ah, I just don't think they see many women around here," Yusuke said dismissively, his grin rather sheepish as he uneasily scruffed his dark hair back. He pointedly wouldn't look at her, and Sango finally gave it up. Dragging anything out of the rogue detective when he wasn't willing to give it up was like trying to balance an elephant on a marble---just not going to happen.

Strangely, the warrior-monks' arrogant attitudes thawed after that, especially Touhou's. Sango still didn't trust the hook-nosed lout, but she had to grudgingly respect his strength and his singular loyalty to his brother-monks, especially when he saved Seitei from a sudden rockslide late on the eighth day of their tedious journey. They were now well into Raizen's territory, and the rocky desert had given way to rising hills of gorse-grown brush, with the purple smudge of forest and mountains beyond. Odd plants like huge umbrellas the size of giant towers and rocky outcrops that were like tall buildings had begun to appear, and the shallow rivers they crossed now sported green beds along their banks.

Blind as he was, Seitei had no trouble finding his way. He must have somehow used the jyaki around him to sense where things were, for he never stumbled. But it could not warn him when a boulder tipped precariously above him had suddenly decided to fall in the wake of the steadily-growing-louder rumble that came three times a day like clockwork. Touhou had reacted faster than anyone else, pushing his blind brother aside and taking the full force of the giant boulder's impact across his back and shoulders. He had snarled, rooting his jyaki into the ground and then pushing against the heavy weight until he had managed to finally shrug it off of him. The fact that he had was incredible---that boulder had to weigh a ton at least, and Touhou appeared only winded.

The reminder of the youkai's strength made Sango more determined than ever to practice her wind techniques. She had plenty of time on her hands, so she put it to good use by creating little wind-balls and focusing and strengthening her control while she walked. Seitei had even surprised her one afternoon by falling back by her side and making a mild suggestion that she try to push small objects, like the pebbles that lay strewn across their path, with short blasts of air. She found herself liking him most out of the three, for he had a surprisingly serene air about him, one that reminded her, strangely, of the sage she had worked with long ago to learn how to direct her chi.

Hokushin puzzled her. He was polite, yet distant, and seemed distracted. He was aloof to the point of arrogance, but he seemed to come alive when Yusuke bantered with him. She had caught him looking at the detective with a thoughtful half-smile, and wondered what it was that called it. But Yusuke always seemed to have that effect on people.

And she had smiled that same thoughtful half-smile as she had thought that, too.

The routine they had fallen into was suddenly broken on the tenth day around noon, when the rumble that was Raizen's growling stomach (and how disturbing was _that_, that this demon's hunger pangs could shake the very ground beneath their feet) had just subsided and they walked the last few feet up a steadily rising cliff. The cliff-face gave way to a deep valley, where a large stone city lay spread out below. The tallest tower had a strange conical roof with a spoon-like appendage sticking out from the side. Gesturing towards it, Hukoshin had said in an uncharacteristically grandiose way, "Behold, Raizen's fortress."

Sango's gaze had slid to the other buildings, which stood like rough pillars of stone, mere slits cut into their grey faces for windows. The buildings were odd, round and tall, with flat roofs. She couldn't see any movement below, between the meandering streets, but then they might be too far up. Still, it was eerily quiet and still, and she wondered what her first experience in an all-demon city would be like.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Boring, actually. The streets were deserted, most of the buildings empty, their dusty doors and neglected condition giving mute testament that while this might have once been a bustling city full of life, now it was but a deserted hulk left to the warrior-monks who remained loyal to Raizen. Strangely enough, she got the impression that this might even be just a fortress and barracks, for none of the buildings seemed like the type of place one could raise children, and while the style of the buildings was a far cry from what she was used to, the small room she was shown to reminded her of a cross between a monk's cell and a warrior's bunk.

The stark furnishings included a pallet on the floor and a weapons stand in the corner. Hooks lined one wall, and she had been provided with a small basin of water. She took advantage of it, grateful to wash the dust off her face and hands, and took a moment to brush out and re-braid her hair, and thought longingly of a real bath. It had been far too long, and while Jin had shown her a secret to keeping the smell down by using the wind to refresh herself, still her scalp felt itchy and she wanted a long, hot soak in a tub or shower if she could manage it.

She left her pack and cloak locked in her room---Seitei had solemnly presented her with a key when showing her to it. She emerged to find Kurama and Hiei both waiting. Kurama gave her an encouraging smile, and she was once again grateful for his unspoken intuition of her moods. Funny how well he could gauge them, and funny how much she had come to take it for granted during the long journey to get here.

But this was Yusuke's battle, and since she had thrown her lot in with them, she was determined to see it through. She could not tell precisely when her priorities had changed; it had been so subtle, really. She, who had thought for so long of just herself, now thought all but unconsciously of them as a group. They had all helped her accept herself as she now was, and had promised to help her in her own quest to recover her brother and seek revenge on Naraku. She did not doubt that they would, for they had given their word and she had learned to trust them. It felt _good_ to have that simple awareness, that she was not alone anymore, that she had---well, if not friends, than comrades, and ones she liked and respected---to share it with. It helped to make the enforced wait that would normally have left her anxious and chafing more bearable, and besides, she owed Yusuke, as she owed all of them, for giving her that.

And she was able to give him some of that back when she presented him with a bottle of pomade that she had found among the other odd toiletries in her room. It smelled musty, as had the overly-perfumed soap and dusty hair-ribbons that had been left for her, but the thoughtfulness behind the gesture---possibly at Seitei's instigation---warmed her. So many things were so strange and unsettling here in Makai. Beings she would have hated for what they stood for---flesh-eating monsters who preyed on her own kind---were always surprising her with their genuine kindness. Like how the blind monk didn't have to go out of his way to find a few things for her---or Yusuke, rather---to use.

Yusuke had taken one look at the bottle of hair gel, eyes lighting up, and then shocked the hell out of her as he grabbed her in a bear hug and kissed her soundly on the cheek. Sango had stiffened, a blush rising as he abruptly let her go and kissed the bottle in fervent thanks.

"Holy crap, there really _is_ a god!"

He had disappeared back inside his room, leaving Sango to try and pretend not to avoid looking at the other two demons, who had watched the little byplay with matching blank expressions. Mercifully, Yusuke quickly re-emerged with a wide smirk to strike a pose. His hair was slicked back off of his forehead in a feathering style, except for a few strands he kept down in the front. He looked odd, with his black hair shiny and swept back. Not bad, exactly, just different, since she had never seen him with his hair styled like that before.

"Finally! Back to my old self." It was strange to see him clothed, too, for he had traded his torn jeans for a sleeveless white shirt and pants, probably on loan by the monks, for they were a little baggy.

Kurama smiled. "You now look presentable, Yusuke, fit to meet royalty."

"Hn," was the fire demon's typical response. He leaned negligently against the wall behind him, arms crossed over his chest and sword conspicuously held close. He, too, had been provided with a sleeveless white shirt, though he wore it tucked into his four belts.

"Royal pain in my ass, you mean." Yusuke smirked, his eyes narrowing. "All right. I'm ready to go meet this cagey bastard, and I'm going to demand a fucking explanation for what he did to me. He better provide a good one, or I'm going to make him eat my fist."

"Careful, Detective. He might just be hungry enough to take you up on that offer," Hiei warned with a mocking cut of his eyes.

Too happy to let that worry him, Yusuke only grinned maliciously. "Then maybe it's what's for dinner."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Our King is at the top of this tower." Hokushin turned to look at Yusuke, his eyes calculating. A faint smirk curved his lips, as if he was looking forward to the confrontation. "He has been waiting for you."

"Had to clean up for the royal ass-kicking I'm about to give him," Yusuke tossed back, fists on his hips as he looked up the stone façade. The tower loomed much higher than the other buildings, as if lording it over them. The pipe-shaped extension that Hokushin had pointed to, where the King's throne room supposedly lay, looked like a round-bottomed egg from their present vantage.

Kurama eyed the sturdy iron doors cut into the base of the first round step. The various levels of the King's Tower were stacked on top of each other, each floor smaller than the last.

"Looks like quite a climb," Yusuke muttered, as if put out by that fact.

"It shouldn't take us too long," Sango inserted, a thumb running over the top of the sword hilt she lightly clasped, as if to reassure herself that it was there. Cross-belted and sword-girded, she bristled with enough knives that she was obviously making a point by the fact.

Touhou exchanged glances with the unfamiliar monk who stood on their left. Three others stood ranged behind Hokushin, deceptively at their ease. They were much alike, with shaven heads and human faces, dressed in the same austere, grey-blue uniform.

"I apologize, but our King has given us strict orders that only Mr. Urameshi shall be allowed in to see him. He prefers to have a private family reunion with his son." Hokushin did not look all that sorry.

"Indeed." Kurama's green eyes narrowed as he drew himself up. His eyes flicked to the left, where Touhou and the other monk had tensed.

"If you think that I would let Yusuke go in there alone---" The snap in Sango's dark eyes was all too telling as Hiei sneered.

"And you think you could stop us?" His hard voice dripped with scorn as an unholy smile lit up his features at the thought that they might try.

Hokushin's dark eyes narrowed as the other monks surreptitiously tried to edge their way closer to the door he stood beside, but it was Yusuke who actually interfered.

Turning back to his bristling friends, he gave them a smile of both gratitude and reassurance. "I appreciate the support, guys, but I think I wanna handle this one on my own."

Hiei panned a flat stare on the detective, who offered a half-shrug at the silent challenge. Kurama, although unhappy with his friend's decision, also knew there was no way to change his mind once it was made up, and conceded with a slight shake of his head and a relaxation of his stance.

Sango, not as well-versed with Yusuke's stubborn nature, protested, her glare moving from one monk to the other. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Yusuke smiled, his intense brown eyes lightening in hue at her show of dissension. The taiji-ya was almost as stubborn as he, and this demonstrated just how much her attitude towards them had changed. He wondered if she even realized just how much it had, and how much her concern now showed. He gave her his trade-mark finger-trigger and cocky smirk to reassure her. "Hey, I appreciate your concern, Anei, but this is something I gotta do alone. This shit is between me and him, and _only_ me and him."

Sango's chin hardened, and she looked ready to argue further, but Kurama laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. Tensing, she glanced back at him, and she must have seen something in his eyes to dissuade her, for she finally gave in, though with ill grace. Shrugging off Kurama's hand, she turned back to Yusuke and said fiercely, "_Fine_. But at the first sign of trouble, I swear, Yusuke, I'll---"

"Yeah, yeah." Yusuke waved negligently over his shoulder. "I'll be fine, guys. Really. If anyone's going to need help after this, it'll be him, 'cause he's got a helluva lot of explaining to do, and that's _after_ I beat his high-handed ass into the ground."

Hokushin grinned. "Truly, Mr. Urameshi, you are your father's son."

Yusuke turned a cold scowl on the monk. "That bastard is not my father. Now open her up, Hokey. I have a demon to go kill."

"He really is an impetuous fool," Hiei muttered in a low aside to Kurama, who only nodded. That was as close to admiration as Hiei ever got. They all watched stonily as Yusuke disappeared inside the opened doors. They closed behind him with a resounding clang that left Sango cold. The silence grew thick with tension as they all waited what would come.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

If she wasn't already strung as tight as a bow, than Sango would have jumped when her spiritual sense suddenly went haywire. Her head shot up, her eyes darting this way and that to pin down the sudden sense of raw power that was emanating all around them. Never had she felt such tremendous force concentrated in such a small area, and it sent icy fingers down her spine as her own jyaki flared in answer.

Judging by their expressions, both Hiei and Kurama had caught that sudden flare of demonic energy, too, for Kurama looked wary and Hiei's expression had frozen as his eyes narrowed. His knuckles were white on his sword as he stared up towards the top of the tower, and Sango had a sinking sensation for Yusuke's well-being.

_'Damn you for being so thick-headed and stubborn, Yusuke!' _Looking around, she saw the worshipful looks on the monks' faces, and could suddenly understand why they were so loyal to Raizen. She had never felt such raw potential and spiritual presence since she had stood in the presence of King Yama, and this was with the Toushin weakened by several hundred years of self-imposed hunger!

She suddenly knew why one demon could hold off his enemies, and with just the threat of his malice.

What had Yusuke gotten himself into?

Well, she wasn't going to stand around here looking as ga-ga as those damn monks. For she had a suspicion Yusuke was going to be in for it, and would need their help. Edging her way closer to the iron doors, she palmed her throwing stars and kept one hand on her hilt. Ignoring the ominous cloud of youkai energy above, she kept her eyes on the monk closest to her, ready to take advantage of the first sign of distraction.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Hiei's eyes flicked toward the slayer, who had managed to ease herself closer to the doors without anyone else noticing. He hid a smile, for the fierce glitter in her dark eyes spoke volumes, even though she tried to hide it by lowering her lashes and smoothing her features. As ill-at-ease as that damn flare of raw power had made him, inured to it as he was, it must have sent alarm sirens screaming off inside her skull. She wouldn't be used to a demon of Raizen's strength, no matter what she had been exposed to in the past. But demons of Raizen's caliber _never_ left Makai. There was a reason Reikai had spent so much time and effort creating the kakai barrier between the two worlds.

He had to admire her guts, for many a lesser warrior would have been struck dumb by the awesome show of power coming from Raizen's little hide-away. He glanced over at Kurama, to find the tall kitsune stiffen, his nostrils flaring slightly, just one second before a loud scream of angry protest and pain echoed down from the tower's height and the iron tang of human blood filled the air.

_'Yusuke.'_

His sword was out and at Touhou's throat before he could even take time to think about it. Touhou looked stunned, but Hiei wasn't going to give the big brute a chance to retaliate. Killing someone he'd journeyed with would not have bothered him much before he'd met Yusuke, but the damn detective's disgusting sense of hindering honor had rubbed off and tainted him. That was the only reason he could think of as to why he hit the bald monk with his hilt, knocking him unconscious, rather than simply beheading him.

He heard a hiss as another monk barely managed to dodge one of Anei's thrown stars, and felt Kurama unfurling his Rose Whip behind him to take out another. Hokushin looked angry, but not entirely surprised, as he shouted for others of his men to come to their aid. Hiei heard Anei snarling behind him, the rhythmic clang of her foot striking the thick iron doors that barred their way. Hokushin's head darted forward, his dark eyes intent on the slayer, and Hiei quickly inserted himself between them. Hokushin's stretched-out head dodged his slashing sword by a hairsbreadth, and would have gone under the blade to wrap him up if Kurama's thorny whip hadn't cracked between them.

Leaving Raizen's second-in-command to the kitsune, Hiei casually punched another monk right in the face as he cut down a third on his way to Anei's side. He snarled a command for her to step aside. She snarled back a protest but moved away just in time as he hurled himself at the iron barrier. It flung open with a ringing boom as the two doors slammed into the stone walls on either side of the interior.

The delay had cost them too much time, for Yusuke's blood-curdling screams of pain and rage continued to echo down the spiraling staircase to freeze their blood. Hiei growled as Anei darted past him and launched herself toward the stairs as Yusuke's defiant shout filled their ears. Her feet slid out from under her as the whole tower convulsed in the aftermath of an explosion that rocked the stone to its foundations. Hiei knew the detective had fired his Shotgun at the Toushin, for the shockwaves of spiritual energy released with it had thrown the dust that lay over everything into the air, adding a fine, gritty haze that made him cough even as he leapt back up on his feet.

The taiji-ya clawed herself up, the look on her face angry at the extra delay as she sharply waved her free hand, summoning a breeze to dissipate the dust in the air. She glanced back at him, and was gone up around the stairs even as he leapt after her. Kurama was just behind them, Hokushin right on his heels. The silence was deafening, except for their panting and faint curses as they ran headlong up the tower. Hiei easily passed the taiji-ya and ruthlessly flung his jyaki out to burst open the solid gold doors that barred their way on the final landing.

He was crouched just inside the broken doors, the cutting edge of his katana facing outwards, eyes raking the grit-clouded room, even as the others burst in after him. Taking in the Spirit Detective who sat relaxed with his back against the wall, the white-haired Toushin crouching in front of him, also seemingly at ease, Hiei straightened, his expression sour.

"Yusuke!" Not as quick to comprehend the detective's body language, Anei was at his side in an instant, her eyes flashing red with anger as she interposed herself between the Toushin and the sprawling half-demon. She bared her weak human teeth at him and Hiei could feel the surge of her jyaki as she gathered it to her, as seething with rage and menace as it had been that day in the wood. Her eyes were bloody with it, and only Kurama's sharp voice penetrated that boiling fury, recalling her sharply to her senses.

"Anei!"

She gained control of herself with an effort, but she still didn't back down as the crimson glow dissolved from her glittering gaze. She glared unflinchingly at the Toushin, who had sat back with a faint smirk as his eyes rove each of them in turn, finally coming back to rest on the slayer who stood over his son.

"Huh." He seemed amused by the situation. Hiei's eyes narrowed even as he sheathed his sword with a snap.

"Hi, guys." Yusuke chuckled weakly, one arm pressed into the gaping wound across his stomach. "Good of you to come."

Hiei's eyebrow twitched.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Whew! It's been a while, but I decided to meld two chapters into one, so you get a longer chapter to make up for the long wait. =) Thank you, everyone, for your continued reviews. They really keep me encouraged to continue this little story. (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA, IY EPISODE "ONLY YOU, SANGO"

WORDS

daimyo - feudal lord

baka - idiot

Taiyoukai - demon lord

_**Chapter Twenty-Three**_

Closing her eyes and lying back so that her head rested against the smooth rock behind her, Sango sighed as the warm water sloshed around her. The tight muscles along her neck and shoulders ticked a few times before the heat of the hot springs penetrated enough for them to relax. She luxuriated in the feeling of liquid warmth all around her, letting it envelop her tired body and turn both her muscles and mind to mush. For the first time in far too long, she could simply let herself be, and it felt wonderful.

No wonder Kagome had loved hot springs. Her fondness for taking any excuse to dip in one had at first unnerved Sango, who had grown up in an era where regular bathing was considered a sure way to die. Damp clothing that took too long to dry could cause chills and fevers, which during those times meant death more often than not. But after Kagome had explained that dirt and infection could be prevented with simple cleanliness and boiling water to sanitize the area of germs, than Sango had seen the benefit. And after spending three years in the modern girl's company, she had grown accustomed and even neurotic about regular bathing.

Opening her eyes, Sango smiled. Funny, but she had not really understood Kagome's description of germs and bacteria. Back then, she could only equate them to tiny youkai---like flea demons, only worse---and that had been enough to convince her of the girl's veracity. She knew now, of course, what germs were, but it was funny just how naïve she had been all those years ago.

The world had been such a simple place then, and her place within it even simpler. That had all changed, of course, after Naraku came. After that, nothing had ever been simple again.

Sango sighed, a line forming between her brows as she frowned unhappily. She wished, sometimes, that she could think of the past and not have it hurt or turn sour. There was such pain mixed up in all of it that she usually kept a tight lid on any of her memories, even the good ones---like her naïve belief in germy youkai, or when Miroku had first kissed her. It had been so sweet---a gentle press of his lips to hers. There had been none of the groping or urgency she had thought would happen when he did finally kiss her. She had been in such shock that his eyes had warmed with amusement. He had cupped her cheek in his bead-wrapped palm and kissed her again, mapping her lips with his but with that same light, gentle touch---as if he was stretching the moment out to savor it for all time.

Rough fingertips lightly touching her lips, Sango closed her eyes, refusing to let the tears that gathered there fall. She had shed enough tears for Houshi-sama, until her soul had been raw with the unending pain of it. She had vowed never to cry again, feeding her aching loneliness into the bitterness and hatred she had for the evil hanyou who had taken her love from her---taken everything from her, really. And that bitter hatred fueled the burning rage that kept her alive all this time. And she had not cried, not really---though she refused to consider the countless mornings she had awoken with her pillow damp under her cheek.

Sango stirred uncomfortably, wrinkling the placid surface of the water around her with the restless movement. The only reason she was thinking about Miroku's first kiss was because he had been the only guy to ever kiss her---Lord Takeda notwithstanding. Kuranosuke Takeda's kiss did not count. That had been an awkward misunderstanding as she turned her head away at the last minute, so that his wet lips had landed mostly on her cheek. He had been effusively apologetic and Sango had felt terrible about the whole incident. Stammering that it was her fault and giving her lame apologies, she had been more anxious to get away from him than in trying it again, as he was so intent on doing.

Thankfully, they had left not long after, and she had never seen him again. She wondered idly if the daimyo had eventually settled down with someone. Probably his clan had forced him to, and to someone with a substantial dower, as the clan's coffers had been rather depleted. Takeda's father had invested too much of his coin in bear tokens that had not sold well. Sango chuckled at the memory. Poor Kuranosuke. He had meant well, and his infatuation, while not returned, had given her at the time a badly needed reminder that she could be _both_ a warrior and a woman.

Something she had not been for some time. Centuries, actually, for she had not let herself. Oh, there had been those from time to time who had made known their interest to get to know her better---to learn the woman behind the warrior. But Sango had turned an icy disdain on those bold enough to ask and that particular tactic had shielded her well. Her reputation among King Yama's household garrisons had been formidable enough to keep such unwanted attentions away for the past hundred years or more, so that she had grown a bit rusty at deflecting unwanted advances...

She froze, hearing a noise that didn't belong. Fingers automatically plucking free the small knife she had tucked into her loose bun, Sango warily regarded the silent woods around her. Not so much as a single leaf stirred, for the day was still and warm. Seitei had promised her privacy, and while she trusted the blind monk, she wasn't so sure of the others. It had been rather foolish of her to drop her guard like that. She really should clean herself up and get herself out. There were plenty of others waiting to use the hot springs, for they were the only bathing facilities the fortress sported. Seitei had mentioned that a lot of the buildings had fallen into disrepair over the last century, as none of the warrior-monks had any real practical training. Aesthetic as they were in tastes and lifestyle, they didn't see maintaining the indoor plumbing as all that important.

It was sad, really. This must have once been an impressive city. Although primitive by modern standards of plumbing and electricity, the stonework was both functional and sinuously graceful in its simplicity. The buildings appeared seamless, as if poured into being from whatever mold the original architects had designed. While time and neglect had taken their toll on many of them, there were hints of their former glory. Many had been made with different heights and needs in mind---probably a reflection on the diverse nature of demon-kind.

The city had never been more than a fortress, though. Form and function played more in its construction than appeal or luxury. Each of the seamless stone pillars could only be reached by a single door, which could be solidly barred at need, and the windows were mere slits where arrows or other items could be thrown out. Sango wondered how many wars the city had seen in its ancient environs, and how many times it had been laid siege to. She might never know, for she was too shy to ask Seitei---if the busy monk even had the time.

Aware how time was passing, Sango quickly, though thoroughly, washed herself, keeping one eye on the quiet forest around her as she did so. It was wonderful to get her hair clean, even if the shampoo looked a little old and dubious. It was overly perfumed with the scent of some strange flower, one that vaguely reminded her of some of King Yama's concubines. Summoning a bit of the wind to help dry her hair helped dissipate the heavy fragrance, though it still lingered faintly around her.

Sango shrugged. She could hardly be picky. Her own supplies had run out quite a while ago and she didn't know if she could buy more somewhere. They hadn't encountered any towns or convenience stores, and she wondered if Makai really was like the modern world, though Jin had hinted as much. At least she had a clean robe to wear, another courtesy provided by Seitei. It was really thoughtful of him, as she had brought nothing with her but the clothes on her back. Those were currently being laundered along with the others'; yet another nice gesture on the part of their impromptu hosts.

Sango shook her head, baffled by how well they were being treated. The monks seemed to take their continued presence in stride. They had been rather nonchalant about the various wounds---some of them quite nasty---they had suffered at the group's hands, when Yusuke had first confronted his ancestral father and she and the others had fought their way up the tower to Raizen's throne room. She had never seen anything like it---though it could be the fact that the King had basically ordered they be made welcome as long as they chose to stay. And since it appeared to all intents and purposes that Yusuke had come to some kind of strange truce with the powerful Toushin and seemed in no hurry to leave, their continued presence in the city was taken for granted.

The fact that there was no antagonism, though, was just plain disturbing. It was as if Raizen's men held no rancor for a battle well-fought, when there should have been _some_ kind of reaction other than the quiet acceptance of their King's decision. Maybe it was just a demon thing. Lord knows that even the nastiest wounds, short of a death-blow, could heal if given enough time. And none of the monks had died---though one or two had come close, thanks to Hiei. But there seemed no animosity between the two groups, even on her friends' part, and she frankly didn't understand it.

Like everything in Makai, it left her wondering if anything she knew as truth actually was. She didn't like that uncertainty and was uncomfortable with the realization that she might not.

Knotting the simple white cloth around her, Sango fussed with the gaping neckline, for the robe was a bit too big. She stared at the murky, spider-shaped bruise between her breasts. Centered over the thin, white line of scar tissue that was all that was left to remind her of Shigure's surgery, it had appeared not long after Kagura's heart had been implanted within her. Sango loathed it for it was like, and yet unlike, the spider that had been tattooed on Naraku's and his various incarnations' backs. It was an ugly reminder of her most hated enemy, and symbolized her very real fear that Naraku might still have some hold on Kagura's heart, and thus her. The remote possibility that it could made her blood turn to ice. But in the five-hundred years since the spider had appeared, it had never done anything but remind her of both her worst fears and her fondest, darkest hopes of finally attaining vengeance on the baboon-cloaked bastard.

It wasn't always this dark a hue. Sometimes it would fade to a lavender birth mark, the spider's outline indistinct. At others, like now, when her skin was still flushed from the heat of the hot springs, it would appear almost black, the shape distinct and ugly. She had never been overly conscious of her looks, but that hideous scar---after so many, since the ones she had received as a human woman had remained, only new ones healed with no marks after---was more than just a symbol of Naraku's taint and her fear of it. It was a poignant reminder that she was not a woman who could care about such things, but only a warrior, a weapon, to wreak vengeance on those who had once borne it.

It was a hideous testament to what she was and what she could never be. Why she cared, though, that made her feel unworthy and shallow.

And yet still she did.

_'I'm being ridiculous. I just want my own clothes back. I don't like being dependent on someone else---even for a bath-robe.' _She smiled faintly at her ingratitude and picked up her sheathed sword.

Only to have it free and held at the ready a second later as she whirled, her eyes flashing red at the sudden flare of jyaki behind her. Her spiritual sense screamed and she silently cursed, wondering how the Toushin had managed to hide his incredible aura from her so that he could take her unawares.

The razor-sharp length of steel glittered a bare millimeter from alongside the Toushin's throat as she glared up at him. If he so much as moved, he would be shorter by one rather hairy head. Her steady arm and narrowed gaze told him as much, although he appeared rather unimpressed by the clear warning.

If she gave her mind time enough to really think about that fact, than she would lose her nerve, so she didn't. "What do you want?" she spat, a red glitter to her brown eyes.

"Does he love you?"

"What?" His question took her completely by surprise, enough so that her sword dropped a fraction, though she quickly recovered it as his intense gaze locked with hers. The look in his eyes froze her blood, but she allowed none of her fear to show, keeping her arm rigid and her expression defiant.

"Huh." A smirk curved the demon's wide mouth, and he seemed amused as he looked down at her. Standing a good seven feet, he towered over her, his long, white hair wild all about him. Ruggedly handsome in both form and face, he looked capable of killing her with the casual flick of one long claw, let alone his bare hands. Sango refused to be intimidated, though, and stood her ground.

They stood like that for quite some time, until her arm started tingling from the strain of holding her sword up and still for so long. Sango ruthlessly thrust the pain away. He studied her, as if making up his own mind about something, and when he finally did, he disappeared.

Taken off-balance, she staggered forward a step. She looked around wildly, for his jyaki, though once more contained, was still there. It was a dark, ominous presence, like a storm sensed on the wind or a shadow seen out of the corner of her eye. She was ashamed to admit that she only sensed him behind her when he deliberately let a little more of his power go. Whirling around, she raised her sword, only to have it stopped by his casually pinching the naked blade between two clawed fingers. Her eyes widened, but she already had a knife free and twisted about to throw.

He laughed, then, a sound both raucous and delighted. "You're young yet, girl, but quick. Given some time and training, you might even make a half-decent opponent."

Infuriated by that sly remark, Sango's eyes bled, but she collared her anger, knowing emotion would only get her killed. So as humiliating as it was, she accepted defeat and relaxed her stance minutely, though she still kept her guard up. This demon might be able to kill her any time he wanted to, but she wouldn't make it easy for him.

"You're a prickly one, aren't you?" Raizen smiled at her, pushing her sword away with a careless flick of his fingers. His offhand motion managed to wrench her arm as the blade swung wide. _'Posturing bastard.'_ She didn't particularly like him all that much, and was frankly unimpressed that he felt the need for it. '_Typical arrogance for a male demon.'_

Her scorn must have shown on her face, for he smirked, folding his arms across his wide chest in a casually dominant stance that reminded her all too eerily of Yusuke, for it was one of his favorites. The resemblance made her even more uneasy, rather than reassuring her. She kept her sword lowered but made no move to sheathe it or the knife still turned in her hand.

Raizen seemed hardly bothered by that fact. His eyes raked her with frank appraisal, the purple depths so dark they appeared black. His nose was even sharper in outline than Hokushin's, and the dark blue tattoo on his left cheek stood out starkly against his tanned skin. His hair, as brilliantly white as the demon lord Sesshoumaru's, was wilder than even Inuyasha's, and barely contained by the yellow headwrap he used to keep it back. He exuded sensuality and brute male strength to a degree she had rarely seen, and many a woman would have found it attractive. But it actually had the opposite effect on her, making her even more wary and distrustful. There had been demons in plenty who had tried that typical ploy on her, but she wasn't so easily bemused by such pathetic attempts to disarm her.

The blatant sexual allure was suddenly snapped off, and Sango's eyes narrowed as he threw his head back and laughed, an annoying sound that rung throughout the glade. His eyes glinted as he grinned at her, this time with real warmth in the dark depths. She didn't return it. Her suspicion and ire at his arrogance smoothed her face into a mask of icy disdain as she demanded, "What is it that you want, my lord?"

Raizen only smiled, his deep voice soft as he noted mildly, "You have her eyes."

Sango's eyes narrowed before comprehension dawned. It wasn't that hard to figure out---Yusuke was, after all, the King's son, if removed by several generations, and for that to have happened, than the demon king had to have lain with a human woman sometime in the past.

Being compared to the demon's human lover didn't sit too well with her, though, only making her even more tense and wary. He blithely continued, either unaware of her stiffness or not giving a damn---which was probably more the case, given his innate arrogance. "Though hers were blue, not brown. A beautiful blue, like the deepest sapphires…"

He seemed lost in memories and Sango stole the chance to step back. His head came up sharply, his nostrils expanding like a predator sniffing out its prey. That smirk was back. "You're a bit warier than her. She had no fear or caution, of me or anything."

"She's dead," Sango said flatly. To have no fear or caution was to be a fool who often got just what they deserved. She wondered if she had offended him, for he stilled, his eyes narrowing on her at the sharp reminder.

Surprisingly, he threw back his head and laughed again. It was just as irritatingly loud as before. He bellowed like a bull. He probably didn't have to care how voluble he was---his arrogance would hold no room for discretion. She frowned in disgust. This demon's centuries-long hunger strike had driven him completely insane. Sweaty palms tightening around the hilts she held, she swiftly backed away, summoning the wind to put even more distance between them.

Sango abruptly froze, her eyes widening as a razor-sharp claw delicately lifted her chin up. He stared down at her, his expression rather amused. One moment, he'd been standing there with his hands on his hips and his head thrown back in laughter as she retreated, the next he was directly in front of her, stopping her in her very tracks.

"I don't know what your story is. To be honest, I don't particularly care. But you are the first in a long, long time to remind me of my own personal tragedy---though you probably don't care to hear that, either." He grinned at her, his fangs sharp. His eyes were intense, belying the humor in the deep velvet of his voice. She could not look away.

"But I feel strangely impelled to tell you---though you can take my advice or not, I don't really care one way or the other---that if you ever do find love, girl, than don't let it slip through your claws, as I so foolishly did. Take whatever few moments the gods give you and don't waste what little time you might ever have with them, for the only regret you'll ever have is not taking the chance fate gives you."

Sango flinched. "I don't know what you mean," she said hoarsely, for he had struck a nerve, a deep nerve, with his simple words. Jerking her chin free, she stumbled back away from him.

His smirk was tinged with self-derision, his eyes suddenly ancient and sad, though the expression was so brief she might have imagined it. His massive shoulders rippled in a shrug as he straightened, his eyes glinting as his lips quirked. "I don't know why I even sought you out---except you reminded me of someone in my past, and I felt compelled to tell you not to make the same mistakes I did. You might think it simple demon arrogance---" His eyes glinted, and Sango had the sudden sinking sensation that he had read her incriminating thoughts earlier. A demon of his strength and power probably took it for granted. She wondered uneasily what else he might have read there.

But he only shrugged again, the hard muscles across the wide length of him sharply defined by the casual movement. His voice was ironic, amused. He spared her one last smile, a gleam in his wicked eyes. "Perhaps it's just the vanity of a dying man. Perhaps you'll even humor him."

And then he was gone, leaving her to stare at the empty spot in confused apprehension as her brows drew together. The wind rose, a mournful, lonely sound in its breath, and she shivered, her heart thudding loud in her ears as ice trickled down her spine. Dry leaves, spun up by the wind, rustled against each other, and she hugged herself, her brown eyes shadowed and distant as she looked unseeingly on the glade around her.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Inuyasha hated waiting. There was nothing more boring than sitting in a tree waiting for Kagome to get home from that stupid school she insisted on finishing. The miko had always been rather stubborn about it, and while there was truly no more reason for her not to go, Inuyasha still kept up the argument because…well…he missed her. Not that he was ever going to tell her _that_. She might start getting Ideas.

Not that she didn't already know damn well just how much he loved her. But if he gave her even a single inch, that girl would take it for a mile, or however the stupid human saying went. Old Creaky---Kagome's grandfather---had explained it to him once. The old man had nattered on and on but Inuyasha had gotten the gist of his sage advice on women within five seconds. It was good advice, too, though Mama Higurashi had shaken her head at her father, looking amused. _She_ had told Inuyasha to follow his heart, and the rest would always work itself out.

That sounded nice in theory, but Inuyasha wasn't one to sit back and wait. Except that was exactly what he was doing right now, damn it.

Drumming his claws against his crossed arms, Inuyasha frowned. He had never understood girls, especially Kagome. Like how she had said so sweetly that if he ever came and fetched her from school again she would sit him right into next week. Just because he had taken exception to that stupid Hojo-boy giving her orthopedic sandals and made it clear once and for all to that baka that he would rip out his jugular if he ever dared do it again. Damn it all, Kagome was his mate---or would be, once all this school stuff was done---and you didn't stand around letting strange human boys smelling all aroused like that go sniffing around your future mate! Why, he had never let Kouga get away with that shit, and Kagome had always acted all flattered over it. Though, come to think about it, she had also sat him plenty of times for defending her from that mangy wolf.

Souta was right. Girls were _weird_.

What was taking her so long, anyways? She was usually good about getting her butt home, since she knew he would be anxiously waiting for her. Well, not _anxiously_, exactly, but damn it, where was she? It didn't take this long to walk from her school. He'd timed it down to the second, even counting the steps she would take. Not for any particular _reason_---just because he was bored when she wasn't around. Grandpa only let him do so many chores around the temple, and he hadn't really put much thought into what he might want to do yet. Mama Higurashi was teaching him a little at home, making him sit down and read some of Kagome's old textbooks. It was dull, and he didn't like it, but this time wasn't like the Feudal Era, where he could just go stake out a territory, build a house and provide for Kagome with his claws and his sword. Things were more complicated here, and it took time to get used to.

Not that he really had to worry about _providing_ for Kagome. He had plenty of the paper money the humans valued so much, and that stuff could provide a lot, or so Kagome had told him. She'd been awed by just how much of it he had, thanks to Sesshoumaru.

Now that had been a shock---that Sesshoumaru was not only still living, and in the Ningenkai, but that he had changed enough over the intervening centuries to at least make a token acknowledgement of their shared inu blood. While he was still a snobby bastard who had little love for his younger half-brother, he had felt duty-bound to sign over what amounted to a fortune in human terms. The letter that had accompanied the trust fund's representative had been terse, only saying that the Taiyoukai had now discharged the last of his obligations, and that Inuyasha was on his own, to fail as he may. That last jab had been pure spite, letting Inuyasha know that no matter what, Sesshoumaru's personal feelings regarding him were still the same.

He had to be grateful to the ass hole, though, because it not only took the worry for her daughter's future with a rough barbarian of a hanyou from Mama Higurashi's mind, but it helped fix up the family shrine, which subsisted on donations for the most part. And worse than that, he had to be grateful for the fact that Sesshoumaru had found and rescued Shippou all those years ago, when he had taken a dying Kagome down the well and it closed after them. They had thought all their friends had died in that last battle. Kagome, herself, had been in a coma for weeks, having lost so much blood. Explaining her condition had taken some fancy lying on Grandpa's part, but the old fart was pretty good at it by now.

The real shocker was just how _old_ Shippou was. The little runt was now older than Inuyasha, for what had been a few months to the hanyou was over five hundred years to the fox. The whiny brat he had known was now a handsome youkai with kids, for gawd's sake. And crazier still was that pig-tailed brat Sesshoumaru had picked up in the Sengoku Jidai was the kitsune's mate, and both of them lived near Sesshoumaru in some place half-way around the world called Canada. Although they hadn't visited yet---as the kits were in school, just like Kagome---there had been many phone calls back and forth between Kagome and the two as they played "catch up." There were plans for them to come visit during the next break, whatever that was, and Kagome could hardly contain her excitement.

Inuyasha hated to be indebted to anyone, especially his stupid brother, but the joy in Kagome's eyes when she realized that one of their friends, at least, had survived that horrendous battle---well, damn it, he could forgive the condescending jerk a lot for taking the kit in. And although it would be weird to see Shippou and Rin all grown up with brats older than the fox had been when last he'd seen him, well…he was glad, too, that it had ended happily for them.

Now, if only Kagome would hurry her ass up, than he might be able to steal a little time with her before her mother had dinner ready and Kagome got distracted with all her stupid homework. What the hell was taking her so long? He'd better go check, just in case something had happened to her. No matter how many sits she gave him, he'd feel worse if something did and he wasn't there to protect her.

Decision made, Inuyasha leapt out of the tree and hit the ground running. The sidewalk was too damn crowded, so he made good use of the stinky cars driving by on the street. Leaping from one metal roof to the other, he ignored the squeal of tires and indignant shouts of surprise behind him as he hop-scotched through traffic, attention focused on finding the beautiful, annoying girl who had so thoroughly stolen his heart and his sense.

He finally saw her, standing just outside her school and somewhat hidden by the corner she had been backed into along the rough stone wall. His amber eyes narrowed as a growl rumbled in his throat, for Kagome was being accosted by some huge brute of a boy with bright orange hair. He just knew it! Turn his back for one damn minute and all kinds of perverts started crawling out of the woodwork to harass his poor miko! Well, he was gonna show that big oaf just how stupid he was for picking on _his_ Kagome. He was going to cram that ugly mug right into the back of his skull with one damn fist---

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shrieked, dropping her books and the papers she'd been extending to the boy, startled as he abruptly appeared beside her.

"Don't worry, Kagome, I'm now here to protect you," Inuyasha growled, pushing the girl back behind him with one arm while he glowered up at the ugly jerk.

"Hey! Who do you think you are, buddy? You don't go pushing girls around like that---" the boy had the temerity to say, before he paused, his black eyes narrowing as he did a sudden double-take. "Wait a minute! You're a _demon!"_

Quirking a thick black brow, Inuyasha cracked his knuckles menacingly. "So? What of it?"

"What? How can you tell, Kuwabara? Inuyasha has his hat on---" Kagome popped over his shoulder and Inuyasha shrugged her back, not wanting her to get in the way.

"Hey!" the boy protested, his jaw squaring stubbornly as he glared back at the bristling hanyou. "I don't like guys who think they can just push girls around, and I definitely don't like demons who think they can, either. You better leave, right now, or I'm going to have to teach you a lesson in manners, demon."

"You're going to teach me a lesson? Just who the hell do you think you are, gorilla boy?" Inuyasha demanded.

The boy drew himself up to his full six-foot-three, his meaty arms crossing over his barrel of a chest as he glared down at the silver-haired hanyou. "I'm the great Kazuma Kuwabara, and I have a big sword!"

"Big sword, huh?" Inuyasha's eyes glittered as his hand went to the tattered hilt of his Tetsusaiga.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome protested, her hands balling into fists at her sides as she stamped her foot. She glared at both of them, her brown eyes snapping as her ire rose. "Stop it, both of you! What are you thinking---"

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll take care of this stupid demon. He won't be bothering you any more," the boy insisted even as Inuyasha growled, "Don't worry, Kagome, this idiot's going down!"

"I can't believe this!" Kagome looked heavenward before pointing a finger at Inuyasha as the easiest to subdue. "Sit, boy!"

"Damn it, Kagome!" Inuyasha managed to curse just before the glowing beads around his neck jerked him face first into the ground. Thankfully, it was just grass he ate and not concrete. He forced his head up, his baseball cap slipping off as he scowled up at the unrepentant miko.

"Woah!" The boy's mouth fell open in shock. And then he folded over, laughing hysterically as Inuyasha hacked up several blades of grass and a clod of dirt, his ears flattening to his head in distinct discomfort.

"Damn it, Kagome, why do you have to pull that shit all the time?"

"I told you, Inuyasha, that the next time you came to fetch me from school---"

"Fetch!" Kuwabara howled, overcome with glee.

"Shut up, carrot-head," Inuyasha groused, gingerly sitting up and eying Kagome warily in case she decided that growl earned him another sit.

Kagome frowned. Arms folding over her chest, she pinned both of them with a dark eye that abruptly shut the braying buffoon up.

"Uh…" Kuwabara rubbed the back of his head, clearly uneasy with the slender girl's glare as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"Now. I think we have a few things to talk about, hmmm?" Kagome said too sweetly for the twitching of her eyebrow. Sprawling back on his ass, Inuyasha didn't bother to hide his annoyance as he sighed gustily. He straightened when Kagome rounded on him, and met a rather sympathetic pair of black eyes over the girl's shoulder as Kuwabara made a motion not to push it. Inuyasha felt a sudden surge of camaraderie for the big oaf and shrugged.

"I think the shrine would be a better place to talk, don't you?" Kagome went on brightly as she gripped Kuwabara's arm. "You should come for dinner, Kuwabara. My mom makes the _best_ oden…"

ooOOooOOooOOoo

The Toushin's words sat heavily on Sango as she finally gathered her things up and made her way back to the silent stone monoliths of the city. She used one hand to pull the loose neck of her borrowed yukata closed at her throat in a modest gesture that was more to hide the dark stain of Naraku's spider from her own sight. It was an acute reminder of what fate had brought her, and what fate was now hers. She had known love ever so briefly with Miroku and she had wasted what little time she'd had. Raizen had brought that poignant fact sharply home to her, though possibly not in the way he'd intended.

She welcomed the deserted silence of the city and barracks, grateful not to encounter anyone as she slipped quietly inside her room. The stark furnishings held nothing for her, and she was glad, for her emotions were too raw and near the surface. Putting her sword and knives away on the armor stand, she folded the towel she had used and managed to comb her hair with the brush provided with the other feminine accouterments thoughtfully supplied to her. The rhythmic motions of the brush were soothing to her troubled spirit and she gave herself up to it for a time.

The respite was shattered by a light tap on her door. Snapped back to reality rather abruptly, Sango demanded with more irritation than she wished, "Yes?"

"Lady Anei, it is Seitei. I apologize for disturbing you, but---"

Chastened, Sango quickly opened the door to the blind monk. He bowed, his smile warm as he extended her folded clothes, freshly laundered, by way of explanation.

"Thank you, Seitei." Sango blushed for her rudeness, glad that the quiet warrior-monk could not see it.

"My pleasure," the monk assured her. He bowed again. "If that is all you require, Anei-san, than I shall depart---"

A sudden thought seized Sango and she reached out a hand to stop him. His skin was warm under her fingers, and she flushed at the familiarity as she withdrew her hand. "Uh, actually, Seitei, I could use your help, if you have a few minutes to spare?"

"But of course," he replied courteously as she opened the door wider to admit him. "How may I assist?"

"I have---a few questions. About the…other kings. Raizen's rivals." She wasn't certain if Seitei would even answer her, but he was already settling himself amicably enough on the tatami-matted floor. She hesitated before kneeling down across from him.

He must have sensed her trepidation, for he smiled. "There are no stupid questions---only arrogance to think one knows better than to ever ask."

Sango found herself smiling in return, the tension easing out of her shoulders. "You know, my father used to say something similar. He said, 'Only a fool never seeks wisdom from others.'"

"An enlightened man, your father. Was he a sage or scholar?" Seitei asked, purely out of curiosity.

"No." Sango frowned, uncomfortably aware that her father would not have considered seeking wisdom from a demon, of all things. Perhaps she gave him too little credit, though, for he had been rather unusual, even among his fellow slayers. Training his only daughter in the art of war, for one, was not something "done" in the strict, gender-biased traditions of the Sengoku Jidai.

Seitei waited patiently for her to come to the point. Pushing her loose hair back over her shoulder, Sango began tentatively, though the monk's calm presence eased her more than he could know. "Hokushin told Yusuke that demon world was divided between three Taiyoukai. I was wondering if you could tell me more about the other two kings. I'm seeking a demon, one strong enough and ambitious enough that he could easily gain power over other youkai."

Seitei remained silent. Sango nervously filled in her uneasiness by trying to explain her reasoning, something she normally didn't bother with. "You see, I knew him many centuries ago, in human world. He was powerful enough, then, to be feared by many demons, even though he was only a hanyou. He had---aid. He could control others, manipulate and use them, and even absorb them into his body to make himself stronger. He was both sadistic and cruel, and lusted after ultimate power. We---almost defeated him---but he fled to Makai, taking someone---something---precious to me with him. No one seems to know anything about him, but I think he might be hiding his true identity. He is more than capable of changing form and appearance---he has done so many times in the past. I just cannot see him disappearing or fading into the background. Naraku was too strong and narcissistic for that."

She fell into an awkward silence, wishing she could take back half of her faltering words. It was not like her to blather on like that, but Raizen's words had brought home to her just how much time she had wasted in trying to track Naraku down. She felt fidgety, wanting to be off and doing, and for some reason, her typical cool control had deserted her. Maybe because this was so important.

Seitei revealed none of his thoughts, his face remaining as calm and serene as always. His hands lay loosely in his lap, his back absurdly straight though his Indian-style position spoke of relaxed contemplation. Finally, he spoke, and Sango drew a quiet breath at his words.

"There may be one who matches what you seek. He is a demon known for his singular cruelty and thirst for power. He embraces the chaos of demon world and relishes in others' torment. His tyranny and despotism are despised, but his power is respected by even our own King. He has no love of humans and no one knows where he came from---only that he emerged from somewhere in the north, fighting and fermenting rebellion against the old lords, taking their lands and uniting them under his own rule. He has continued to grow in strength over the last few centuries, consolidating his power and control so that his territory rivals in size to that of our beloved King's.

"No one has ever seen his face. Although he takes a human form, that is not his true form---as is quite normal for demons."

Here he granted her a smile that made Sango shiver, for she knew full well how youkai often hid their true natures behind an unearthly beautiful face. She had often wondered why it was they chose to emulate those they despised so much.

"No one has seen his face?" she asked, leaning forward on her knees, her hands wrinkling the white fabric of her yukata as she gripped it in dawning excitement.

"No, for he wears protective bandages and sacred sutras to hide his features, all except for a single blue eye that peers out, almost absurdly round and bulging. It glows red in anger---"

"Bulging, blue…covered in bandages---as if he were once burned?"

Seitei regarded her gravely. "No one truly knows."

"Onigumo…" Sango whispered to herself, her breath hitching as she remembered how Kaede had once described the burnt, dying bandit who lay in a cave under the priestess Kikyo's care. He had been covered in bandages, his bones broken, his skin burnt raw but for one single blue eye that leered feverishly out at the then-young Kaede, who had been deeply afraid of him. Onigumo had sold his soul to a horde of lower-class demons, becoming Naraku as they devoured his flesh and he took them for his new body, a body he could manipulate and change at will.

"Tell me, Seitei---who is this demon? What's his name?" Sango demanded harshly, her hands curling into fists so that her short nails bit into her palms.

Seitei was strangely quiet, his sudden tension tangible in the small room. Sango flushed, her need to know rising up to beat a cold fury in her heart that she struggled to contain, for it was that same rage that had set a whole forest to madness. But her goal was so close, so very, very close. She could feel her chest tightening, her heart pounding with the possibility of finally realizing her vengeance after being denied it for so long. The spider mark burned between her breasts, darkening into an angry, purple color. She hardly cared, for Seitei could not see it, blind as he was.

Her desperation was so strong, she did that which she never. Grabbing the monk's hand, she clasped it tight in her own, her voice fervent and whisper harsh as her brown eyes darkened. "_Please_, Seitei---I must know."

"Such hate and seething anger." He was solemn, his normally mild voice troubled, as if he felt the pain of her spirit. Sango's eyes flashed, that anger boiling up. Damn him---she _had_ to know. To save her brother, if nothing else. Her hands tightened on his, her lips whitening as her jaw clenched. By the gods, she would force it out, if necessary---

But her breath sucked in sharply as she felt his free palm suddenly pressing on her flesh, right over the very emblem of her seething hatred. Her heart sped up and she trembled as his fingers spread over the spider's blurred outline. Her flesh burned beneath his touch and she was suddenly awash in a sea of memories. Myriad images flickered through her mind's eye with the speed of thought, shifting and blurring into one another. She saw Naraku's face---laughing, always laughing, evil and smirking. Her father, his eyes widening in shock as Kohaku's scythe bit into his neck. Felt her own flinch as Kohaku's weapon dug into her back, though somehow she survived. Saw Kohaku's sudden horror at what he had done, his brown eyes widening just before the arrows struck him down. Saw the darkness closing in as the arrows hit her, too.

She felt the damp earth closing over her and her muffled screams as she tried to tear herself free from the its dark embrace. Saw Lord Kagewake and Naraku blur together---caught a glimpse of Inuyasha and Kagome, Kirara and Shippou. Felt her heart break once more as Miroku smiled softly at her, felt her lips form the beloved words, _"Houshi-sama…"_

Felt the wrench of renewed horror when she saw her brother, manipulated by Naraku, slaughtering village after village. Felt the shame and bitter tears falling down her cheeks as she was ready to end his life and hers, before Inuyasha intervened. Felt the constant shadow of her own weakness in not being able to free Kohaku, in not being able to save him or those he killed under Naraku's influence.

She knelt by the graves of her massacred village, saw the desolate ruins of her once happy home. Saw again the savagery and terror that Naraku had inflicted on all those around her in that last, hideous battle. Felt again the burning agony as she watched Miroku die, sucked into his own accursed hand, her beloved nekomata disappearing into the black void as well. She saw Inuyasha cradling an inert Kagome in his arms as he fled down the well, the searing brilliance flashing one last time behind them as Naraku fled, taking her brother with him.

She saw again the beating heart bound in its grisly urn. Kagura's heart---she glimpsed the Wind Sorceress's hauntingly beautiful face, her red eyes flashing as she summoned the wind to her with a feather drawn from her hair to escape them once more. There was no escape for her now---Naraku had killed her in that last battle that had taken her most beloved from her side, both lover and companion, and even lost her the friends who had grown closer than brother and sister to her heart.

She felt her hands tightening around the urn and her eyes narrowing. She felt again her staggering steps as she lurched the last few feet to Shigure's home---saw his smirking face, felt his despised caress of her arm just before he drew the scalpel down across her skin, cutting deeply so that the blood trickled out in a heady rush. And then the pain---the agonizing, never-ending pain that had turned her inside out as she succumbed to it. Saw his dark delight as he watched her reactions with studious interest. Felt the sublimation of her human nature as the fevered madness of her rejected demonic energy revenged itself on her hatred for demon-kind, feeding off of her own self-loathing for what she had become and knowing that she was _still_ too weak to cross the kakai barrier and finish it.

Years passed by like the fanning pages of a book, countless years where the bitterness and hatred smoldered into a cold spark of fierce determination and grim survival as the loneliness etched icy despair into a hard shield over her sobbing soul. Felt again the elation at having won through the barrier, and the desperation and surprise and guilt encountering those three she now might consider even as friends. Felt the joy as she stood in the forest and embraced her true self, Kurama's eyes flashing green, his hair a wild fire around him as Yusuke laughed and Hiei's glaring red eyes burned into her very soul as the Dragon of the Darkness Flame consumed him…

"_Enough_." Seitei pulled his hand free and Sango was suddenly back inside the barren room, tears running unheeded down her ashen cheeks. She drew back sharply, hugging herself away from the tired monk. There were deep lines running from his nose to mouth, and he took a deep, steadying breath.

"I must apologize, my lady." He bowed low to her. Sango regarded him in mute shock. Anger would come, but later. She was too raw right now, her mind overloaded by too much emotion for her to be able to clasp onto any one feeling. No one, not even Hiei, had managed to pluck so deeply from her mind and memories, and the reliving of it all was too terrible for her to get past yet.

"I am, first and ever, loyal to my King. And I had to know, for myself, that if I am to betray his unspoken ally, than I must know that there is good reason for it. For although Toushin Raizen has his differences with the Lord Mukuro, he is actually the one my King favors over the other."

"Mukuro…" Sango held onto that name, felt it burning across her mind, something tangible for her to grasp on to.

She flinched away from the calloused palm that suddenly cupped her cheek. His skin was warm against hers. His expression was grave, his closed eyes and the lines etched over his frowning mien compassionate. "I hope you find what it is you seek---but I don't think you even know yet what that truly is, child."

Sango jerked, as if struck, and Seitei sighed. Withdrawing his hand, he stood up and bowed as low as she had ever seen him, in both respect and apology. "Forgive me my intrusion, and please know it was only that I had to be certain. Please rest assured that I will tell no one---your secrets are safe, Sango."

She flinched at the sound of her name, one she had not heard in over a century. Seitei paused just before leaving, a slight smile curving his lips. "That is one secret, my lady, that you might reconsider sharing. For a name is a powerful thing---an opened door through which many things might pass, things that might even surprise you."

And with that cryptic advice, he withdrew.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sitting at his ease on the bank of a small, secluded lake, Kurama looked up as he heard the scuff of Yusuke's feet through the dry leaves of yesteryear that littered the ground all around them. The trees were ancient and weathered by time. Although not as thick or tall as those in the Forest of Fools, their branches extended up towards a sky awash in the ominous purple clouds that crisscrossed its fuchsia veil. Lightning flickered occasionally between them, but it was too high to really take note of. This arid land, with the surprisingly verdant valley cupped at its crest beyond Raizen's city, would see little rain outside of the monsoonal season.

"Hey, Kurama." Yusuke's greeting was perfunctory as he drew up alongside the lounging fox. He surveyed the lake with hands on his hips, his expression both amused and wry. "I thought I might find you here. If there's ever even a patch of woods, you and Hiei are in it."

Kurama only smiled. He didn't need to reply. The detective knew him well enough to know that, too.

Yusuke stirred, shifting from foot to foot as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. He pointedly didn't look in the fox's direction and a thin brow rose as Kurama studied his nervous friend. Something was on the detective's mind, something that troubled him, and Kurama waited patiently for Yusuke to broach the subject.

He finally did so, and with his typical bluntness. "Aw, crap, what the hell." He turned around, facing the fox with his arms crossed and his brown eyes intent. "I'm torn, Kurama, between staying here and helping these guys and just saying fuck it, and leaving them on their own. I don't know what the hell to do. I mean---I came and did what I set out to do---well, not really, but---shit, Kurama, nothing is what I expected it to be."

"Nothing ever really is, I suspect," Kurama said, his words dry but his smile warm with sympathy for his friend's dilemma.

"Yeah, yeah." Yusuke grimaced. Picking up a handful of rocks, he sent a pebble skipping over the lake's surface. The line of his shoulders was tight, the muscles in his arm standing out in sharp relief as he sent two more flying after it in quick succession. They barely skimmed the lake's surface before finally plopping down into the water some distance from the shore. Yusuke frowned, still twitchy with the restlessness that indecision always gave him. The detective was made more for action than introspection---though Kurama always thought the detective gave himself too little credit in that regard. Yusuke had an innate gift for nailing those around him with an unnerving insight into their true motives, and was often able to see straight to the heart of a situation while Kurama was still trying to figure all the nuances out of it.

"So, you are concerned for the fate of Raizen's men---if the rumors are true and the King really is dying," Kurama quietly coaxed the ex-detective to continue.

"He _is_ dying." Yusuke scowled. "He says he has less than a year to live."

Kurama sucked in his breath, more aware, perhaps, than his young friend what the terrible consequences of the Toushin's death would have on the careful balance of power in Makai. "That soon?"

Yusuke looked unhappy. "Yeah."

"It bothers you," Kurama said, surprised by how much it did.

"I didn't kick that bastard's ass! I didn't even come _close_, Kurama!" Yusuke suddenly burst out with the real reason that was making him so unhappy. His fist tightened around the pebbles in his hand, thoughtlessly crushing them into dust as his anger swelled. The brown eyes he turned on Kurama were hot with pent up emotion. "He almost beat the shit out of me, and there was nothing I could do but take it! He even had the gall to say I was pathetic, that he had to interfere with my battle with Sensui or I'd have been killed. Damn him, he might even be right. I just can't know unless I beat him and prove to myself that he's wrong---that I could have if I had been given the chance!"

Kurama should not have been surprised by Yusuke's vehemence. His friend had always had the need to prove himself. Recklessly pitting himself against the odds, he was always searching for stronger and stronger foes to test himself against. Yusuke had seen Sensui as an ultimate test of his abilities, for the rogue detective had achieved a level of strength Yusuke had not even known existed until the Mazoku gene had awoken within him. The fact that Raizen had taken that fight from him was just a small bit of the very real curiosity the detective now had of just what he might be capable of. And really, the only worthy opponents Yusuke could now truly throw himself against were here, in Makai.

"Hokushin said I need training. _Lots_ of training." Yusuke made a face as he unclenched his fist, letting the gritty remains of the pebbles sift through his fingers. "It sure seems like I've spent half my damn life training new abilities. Whatever Hokushin has in mind can't be half as bad as what that old bat Genkai put me through. That crazy bitch has a sick thing for torture."

The detective's fond smile for the elderly priestess belied his angry words, and the reminder of his strict mentor made the tension seep from his body. Wiping his dusty hand on the seat of his pants, he shook his head with a rueful expression. "Aw, crap, Kurama, I know just what Grandma would say. That I should stay here and learn all I can to control my new powers, before I go and do something stupid, like blow up the whole damn world."

Yusuke laughed at the idea, but Kurama had the sardonic thought that that just might be the reason why King Yama feared the Mazoku so much. His new status as an S class demon was not one to be taken lightly by Spirit World.

Perhaps it would be best if Yusuke stayed here to train with Raizen's men. Their Daoism might even teach Yusuke some restraint and caution, though that was a long shot---Yusuke had always marched to the beat of his own drum. But with the impetus of defeating Raizen to drive him on, Yusuke would surely benefit from even a few short weeks of training in the demon-style way of fighting.

Kurama knew Yusuke's loyalties might be torn between staying here as he truly desired and going on to help Anei find her brother and this Naraku, wherever they were. But Yusuke discounted the fact that Kurama had no actual need to stay here and train---Youko had enough ability if he ever cared or needed to call upon it. And Hiei had made no bones about the fact that he disliked the fawning monks and their aesthetic philosophies, letting go a few snide comments about fools and their personal self-sabotage. Unlike Yusuke, Hiei never pitied the underdog; instead, he saw them as rather pathetic for putting themselves in such an untenable situation in the first place.

Kurama's lips twitched at the thought of his cynical friend, and as if his thoughts had summoned him, the short apparition abruptly appeared on the tree branch above them.

Shielding his eyes, Yusuke looked up and grinned. "Hey, short stack. I wondered when you'd finally show up."

"Hn."

"Nice to see you, too, grouchy."

The apparition leapt down, his black coat swirling behind him as he landed easily on the grassy bank. His third eye drooped half-closed, as if tired, though the demon didn't appear fatigued. Stealthily testing the demon's aura, Kurama surmised the youkai had been using the Jagan, and for quite some time. He gave the demon a questioning look and Hiei frowned, as if put out by his astuteness.

"Find anything?" Kurama asked rather mildly, his tone casual but the glint in his green eyes baiting.

Hiei gave him a cool look. "Not particularly. Just a vague sense that we should go north and east."

Kurama wondered just how much searching Hiei had done for the Jagan to droop that much. He'd probably spent hours scanning the horizon, and although the fire apparition did not voice his frustration over what little information he had gleaned from his long perusal, the emotion spilled over from his mind into Kurama's as he shared mentally, _'There's a possibility the boy's shielded. Even from my Jagan.'_

The fox knew the apparition didn't particularly like that idea, that someone _could_ shield themselves from his third eye. Hiei would take it as a personal affront. That sentiment might play well into what Kurama was about to propose. The fox was not averse to using whatever means necessary to persuade his friends that the best course might be for them to separate. He didn't like the idea of leaving Yusuke behind, but it might be in their best interests for the former Spirit Detective to stay and hone his abilities. If Raizen's death was imminent, than they might very well need the Mazoku's power in the future.

"Doesn't King Mukuro's territory lie to the northeast? The other king---whose name escapes me---" Kurama frowned at the reminder, he should really ask someone, but Hiei distracted him from the idle thought.

"Is more south," the demon growled, folding his arms and leaning one shoulder against the thick tree bole beside him.

"From what I remember, no one knows where Mukuro came from, and no one has ever seen his face," Kurama said.

"Or lived to tell of it." Hiei smirked.

"Gods, you have a sick sense of humor, three-eyes." Yusuke shook his shiny head. The pomade the boy used to keep his hair back was stiff enough that not even a single black hair moved.

Hiei let the tips of his fangs show as his smile turned malicious. "I would find it quite funny, detective, to cut that flapping tongue right out of your mouth."

Kurama sucked in his breath as Yusuke deliberately added fuel to the fire, a wicked gleam in his brown eyes. "Wow, you have such a charming way about you, Hiei. It's no wonder you've never been laid."

Hiei only gave the detective a scornful look, hardly fazed by the taunt. "Careful, detective, or I might decide something else needs to be chopped off."

Yusuke blanched, his hands automatically cupping around the threatened area. "You're a sick, sick bastard, Hiei," he groused, even though a grin tugged at the corner of his mobile mouth.

"Can we please get back to the matter at hand?" Kurama deliberately intervened, and Yusuke shot him an unrepentant grin. Squatting down beside the fox, he said, "So you think this Mukuro-guy might just be the roach-monkey Anei's looking for?"

"There's the possibility," Kurama allowed. Hiei looked at him in cool appraisal, a single brow rising.

"What if he's not?" Yusuke demanded, playing devil's advocate.

"Than he might be in the king's employ. Mukuro has never been too choosy over his allies. Naraku could be one of the king's advisors or captains. Hiei, you indicated that the feeling you got was to the northeast?" Kurama carefully diverted the detective's attention away from himself.

Hiei nodded, his eyes flicking from the squatting Mazoku to the red-haired fox as realization dawned. He was abruptly inside Kurama's head, as always his fierce presence as sharp as his frightening insight. _'You do not intend the detective to go.'_

_'No,' _Kurama said, and quickly related why. Hiei nodded once, a small motion Yusuke missed. The apparition's final barb as he abruptly dropped contact made Kurama frown.

_'Now you just have to get him to agree to it, fox. Hn. Good luck with that.' _

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Hiei waited impatiently for the others to say their lame goodbyes and catch up with him. It was ridiculous to make such a fuss over leaving. Hiei had never understood why people felt the need for it. It wasn't as if they wouldn't be seeing each other again. As soon as they found that pompously-named youkai and reclaimed Anei's brother, they would return to collect Yusuke from his little Dao dojo and…well, Hiei didn't know what he wanted to do after that, but probably the others would want to return to living world. He was in no rush, though, to return to that freakish place with its sheep-like people who didn't even have the wit to realize the world around them contained far more in it than just their narrow-minded selves.

It was rather pathetic, really, how the humans could consistently lie so easily to themselves. Those few who knew of the existence of demons were always quick to say the secret was kept for the others' own good. They might even be right---Hiei had little respect for all but a handful of humans, and staying in Ningenkai for the past year or so hadn't improved his sour opinion all that much.

Glancing back over his shoulder, he expected to see the taiji-ya give Yusuke a last hug or something else as trite. Girls, in his admittedly limited experience, usually did stuff like that, making a big deal over nothing. But she seemed preoccupied as Yusuke clasped Kurama's hand. The three monks, who had escorted them to Raizen's territory and had come to see them off, bowed. Anei's eyes kept straying to the mountainous horizon beyond him, and she seemed withdrawn. That didn't stop Yusuke from tossing an arm across her narrow shoulders and saying something that had her stiffen right up and blush. Hiei smirked as he heard Yusuke yelp after she punched him. Turning his eyes back to the forested terrain, Hiei scanned their likely path. He heard the crunch of gravel as Kurama and Anei finally turned to follow him up the rocky hill that overlooked the green valley beyond and the distant mountains that separated Mukuro's territory from Raizen's.

_'Finally.' _Feeling them behind him, Hiei tensed to spring, determined to scout out the terrain ahead by taking to the trees. He paused, hearing Yusuke's departing shot as the detective cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered his goodbye after him.

"Hey, three-eyes! Don't forget the Visine!"

Mouth quirking in a faint smile, Hiei did not look back as he took off.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Whew! It's been a while, hasn't it? This chapter was a witch to edit. Grrr. But things are starting to move, heh-heh-heh, into place. I already have the next three chapters written, though I may add some more scenes to the next before posting. (Leer)_

_I want to give a special thank you to Guyute24, whose continued encouragement has been the sweetest gift of all. Thank you, Lady G. You are something truly wonderful, and I am lucky to have gotten to know you through our mutual curiosity for that alluring question of "But what if…"_

_Boy, doesn't that set your plot bunnies hopping? o_O_

_(Fate) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA, AND EIZOU HAKUSHO - HIEI'S OPENING

WORDS

Aneue - older sister; Kohaku often refers to Sango by this respectful title

miko - Shinto priestess

tennyo - celestial maiden

_**Chapter Twenty-Four**_

The road they followed from Raizen's fortress barely fit the description. Eroded by time and disuse, the gravel that had once provided a firm surface to the thick clay that would turn to soup during the rainy season was scattered through the hardy grass that encroached. They had to pick their way around fallen trees and various bushes that had taken root in the once-cleared space, and often had to camp right on the road itself, as the thick gorse beneath the squat trees was too thorny to try and penetrate.

Three days of steady trudging brought them to the foothills of the mountains, where they left the road to follow a trace of a trail through the dense forest beyond. The track rose steadily, skirting the folds and valleys to cut straight to the pass they sought through the mountains that were a rough barrier between the two kings' lands. The wild underbrush disappeared, leaving a thick carpet of spongy grass between trees that were as old as those in the Forest of Fools, but squat and bent from the fierce winds that howled down from the rocky heights. The trunks were a strange mix of plum and navy that grayed with age. The leaves were small, but abundant, and of such a dark green as to appear blue in the distance. Branches twined above their heads, rarely giving a glimpse of the pink sky. They walked in perpetual gloom, in an empty forest devoid of the smaller life forms that usually abounded in such verdant hills. It was eerie, as the only sound but for their muffled footfalls was the whispering of the leaves in the wind, which rose and fell with a mournful, lonely sound that did nothing to soothe Sango's troubled thoughts.

Withdrawn and edgy, Sango hoped her companions understood why she needed to wrap herself around the restless irritation that stirred so uneasily within her. She kept her words short and few, regretting the curtness in her tone but unable to help it. She was anxious for this tedious journey to be over, so that she could finally realize an end to it all. Not just this journey, but to everything: Naraku, her brother, the bitterness and rage and vengeance. She was ashamed of her impatience, but the truth was that she just wanted it _done_, and at times, hardly cared in what way. She silently asked Kohaku's bound spirit for forgiveness, and her guilt often took its revenge by plaguing her fitful sleep with nightmares.

Faces were called out of the darkness of her dreams, taunting her with their memory. Naraku's mocking laughter snaked through the softer reminisces of a relatively carefree childhood, bleeding the sweet memories with the cringing shame and horror that followed in a tidal wave of blood and betrayal that left her heart heavy in her chest as she woke bathed in an icy sweat. Ghosts from the past were sharpened into too ready a recall, as if the stirring up of her memories by Seitei had brought them out of the darkness to stand stark in the light of harsh truth. Bitterness often rose in her throat with the sour taste of bile, adding poignancy to a darkness that had ever seethed inside of her, angry over the fate the gods had dealt her.

She was just so _tired_ of it all, and felt shame for that, too. The quiet company of the two demons she traveled with recalled times when she had taken such simple companionship for granted, accepting others as readily as she had her beloved Kirara. The comparison of then and now and the many, empty, lonely years between was a great gulf that made her angry for no truly worthy reason. _That_ bitterness was worse than even the cringing regret she had for desiring closure, in whatever way possible.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

_The sobbing pleas of the damned and dying were granted no mercy in the empty brown eyes that swept over them as the wicked edge of the scythe in his raised hand glittered bloodily in the reflected fires that rose over the ruined village. The scythe curved down with a faint whisper of broken air, and the terrified screams were silenced forever as the rattle of the returning chain mocked the blood that splattered in a wide pattern across the dry dirt._

_Heart clenching inside her chest, Sango's mind cried out in agony, '_Kohaku!' _She reached a shaking hand towards him, a futile gesture of plea and denial. Loving him and loathing him for the terrible creature he had become, she could not tear her eyes away from the small boy who stood untouched by the bloody carnage all around him. He glanced back at her, the empty look in his eyes dissolving for a moment into the tentative uncertainty of his soft smile._

_"Aneue," he said, with that heartbreakingly familiar hitch near the end. _

_"Kohaku," she whispered, and then flinched as his smile faded, his brown eyes darkening as the shadow of Naraku claimed him once more. He raised the bloody scythe in his hand and she read her death in the throaty laughter that rose mockingly around her as a pair of icy blue eyes formed in the growing miasma overhead. The glint of lascivious delight in their crimsoning depths made her shudder as she raised empty hands in a feeble attempt to ward off the coming agony…_

Sango jerked, waking with a ragged gasp as her heart drummed loudly in her ears. She blinked, confused by the stillness surrounding her as the vivid nightmare slowly receded into the reality of their quiet camp. Drawing a trembling hand through the sweaty tangle of her bangs, she shook her head, trying to dispel the mocking shadows that still haunted her. Closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall, she threw the blanket of her cloak back and got shakily to her feet. She stealthily retreated, not wanting to disturb the others with her burning need to be alone.

She did not go far---she wasn't that foolish. But they had camped near an icy trickle of a stream that widened and deepened further along into a small pool created by the rocky tumble of a few broken stones. A flat rock jutting out over the small pool provided a good seat. Alone and without the need to appear strong in front of the others, Sango drew her knees up so she could wearily rest her forehead against them. Wrapping her arms tight around her bent legs, she let out a long, shuddering breath. The dream had affected her more than she realized, and it took some time for heartbeat to slow and the reactive adrenaline to drain away.

She felt a distinctive aura materialize some yards behind her, back among the trees, but was surprised it was he and not the kitsune who had followed her.

"You dreamed again."

"Yes." She begrudged the admission, and wished he would just go away and leave her alone.

He didn't, though, and the silence dragged out unbearably until she snapped, forehead still pressed to her knees, "You can go. I won't be long, and I don't need a babysitter."

Contrary as always, he didn't take exception and leave as she was trying to goad him to. He didn't say anything, but she could feel the weight of his gaze across her stiff shoulders. She sighed, too tired to deal with his disdain, and tried to ignore him.

The silence lengthened, only broken by the faint burble of the creek below her and the whispered stir of the leaves above. The wind scattered her bangs across her cheeks as she finally raised her head, staring at the trees on the opposite bank without truly seeing them. Her whisper was almost too low to hear as she admitted, "It was my brother."

Again, he didn't say anything. What could he, really? Offers of false sympathy would not have comforted her, and he was not one to do something so inane. But he didn't leave, either, and the fact that he stayed silent sentinel to her quiet pain comforted her more than he could possibly know.

She was startled when he finally broke the silence. "I have a sister."

It was simply a statement of fact, with no emotion to mar it. It was made the more poignant by the lack.

Curious, for the apparition was not one to ever reveal anything about himself, Sango half-turned to look back at him over her left shoulder. His black trench coat blurred into the murky shadows, dimming the thick collar at his throat to gray. His red eyes, faintly glowing in reaction to the darkness, were not even looking at her, but somewhere off to her right. The wind tugged restlessly at the spiky ends of his hair, scattering the white strands among the midnight.

"She doesn't know who I am."

"Why?" Sango asked softly, her brows drawing together in confusion. His eyes abruptly focused on hers, and she held back a reflexive shiver at the icy finality in them.

"She doesn't need to."

"But---"

He cut her protest off with a sharp rejoinder, as if that explained all. It did, actually, but he could not know why it would for her. "I made a promise."

Biting her lip, Sango turned her head away, looking back at the restless trees on the far side of the bank. Her eyes closed as she whispered, "I, too, made a promise."

He mistook her, for he said simply, "We will find him."

"Yes," Sango agreed quietly, knowing that they would. "But he can never know. _That_ was my promise." Her eyes opened, the emotion that was missing in his voice so rough in hers. "It's probably better that way."

And it was. For she could only remind Kohaku of a past he would be better to forget. She had always wondered how she might protect him from that, and give him a fresh start with no memories of the horrific acts that he had done under Naraku's control. Unburdened by the past pain which her presence could only remind him of, he might have a chance at a normal life.

She was actually grateful to Shigure for taking the burden of decision from her, because she could take Kohaku to her friends, Kagome and Inuyasha---who knew his past and would not turn him away for the sake of their former friendship. Kagome's compassionate nature would never let her, and there was even the chance, with her miko's power to purify the Jewel, that she could heal the shard's dark influence on Kohaku's spirit. And maybe, between Kagome's healing abilities and the advances of modern medicine, one day even cure him of the need for it.

A deliberate scuff against the dry leaves behind them made Sango stiffen. She was not surprised when Kurama emerged from the forest. The color was leached from the kitsune by the night, turning his red hair into a dark shadow against the pale grays of his clothing.

"Anei? Are you all right?" His concern was touching, but his use of a name that was not truly hers was irritating. Perhaps it was the reminder that she could not admit it to her old friends. But her promise to Shigure had only been for those she had known, not those she might come to know, and only the long habit of centuries had kept her silent long past the need for it. Seitei's words suddenly flitted across her scattered thoughts, and Sango flushed.

Looking away, she said shortly, "That's not my name."

The silence seemed to stretch out longer than it actually did as she paused, the word sounding so very strange after so long denying it. "It's Sango."

Hiei snorted.

Sango shot the apparition a disgruntled look. His scornful gaze flicked over the kistune when he admonished tiredly, "Hiei---"

Wanting to break the sudden tension she felt she had caused, Sango started babbling. "It's not that big a deal. Kinda stupid, really. 'Shadow' was a nickname given to me by some of King Yama's soldiers, and it just sort of stuck, I guess. It doesn't matter, really. I don't know why I suddenly felt like telling you---I guess I just felt like you should know."

Her voice trailed off, and she bit her lip, staring down at her hugged knees.

Hiei sneered. "She's right. It doesn't matter what we call her, Kurama." He paused, his red eyes boring hard into her back before he took off for the trees. "What really matters is what she calls _herself_."

Sango flinched. Damn him, he knew just how to stab right inside her heart with the insightful truth of his harsh words. Her eyes grew troubled as she stared at the wind-ruffled trees across from her. She felt Kurama draw alongside her, his canvas shoes making no sound against the thick grass. She looked up into eyes too dark to read, but his smile was gentle.

"Thank you…Sango."

His use of a name that had not been hers in far too long brought a second stab of some unknown emotion to her heart, and she crookedly returned his smile as she said simply, "Thanks, Kurama, for---understanding."

He extended a hand, which she gratefully took as she stood up. His palm was dry against hers. He paused, looking down at her, and Sango wished she could read the expression hidden from her by the darkness. For a moment, she felt as if…but no, she had been mistaken, for he was stepping back, his hand slipping free of hers as he said casually, _**"**_It grows late, and we will cross into the mountains tomorrow. There may be snow in the pass. Even this late in the year, the storms rarely descend from the heights---one of the reasons Raizen's territory is so dry. But we should get all the rest we can tonight, before tackling them."

Sango nodded, welcoming the calculated distraction for what is was. There had been enough raw emotions tonight. Perhaps Seitei had been right---and maybe it was time to let go of more than just her name. Like trying to deny just how much Hiei and Kurama's friendship had come to mean to her. She had spent years keeping herself carefully separated from others. Maybe it was time she took a chance and let down her guard---if just a little.

Perhaps that would be enough.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Whistling cheerfully as he walked, Kuwabara bestowed nods and smiles all around. He idly wondered why so many of the strangers he grinned at looked startled or tried to inch past him, eyes wide and manner nervous. One old granny even made a sign against evil, but that was nothing new. Grannies usually thought he was some type of giant thug. Normally that would bother him---even though he was kind of proud to be thought a thug, and was a big one, when all was said and done. But he was in too good a mood to let it bother him today.

He'd gotten an 89 on the latest exam, which had been returned today in class, and he'd been so ecstatic that he'd forgotten to return Kagome's notes, which had helped him prepare for it. That was easily remedied; it just took a bit to walk all the way to the shrine, which lay in the opposite direction of his home. But he wouldn't mind seeing that doggy-dude again. Despite having a girly-kind of name, that loudmouth reminded Kuwabara of his friend Yusuke, who he'd been missing more than he'd ever admit to anyone. Besides, he might be asked to stay for dinner. Since Shizuru would be working late tonight, he wouldn't mind trading a frozen TV dinner for some of Mrs. Higurashi's home-cooking---which was every bit as good as Kagome had promised.

"Kuwabara?"

Startled, the young man turned, his smile turning sheepish as he finally recognized the tall teenager. Koenma's new form still took some getting used to. He was more used to seeing the minor deity as a floating baby constantly sucking on a pacifier. It looked weird not to have the binky hanging off the demi-god's pursed lips. Rubbing the back of his neck, Kuwabara said, "Hey, Koenma."

"How ya been, Kuwabara?" Koenma asked, companionably falling into step beside him. Kuwabara eyed the tall young man, noting the quietly expensive sports coat and matching slacks in tasteful beige. His dusky orange button-down shirt clashed with the purple headband he wore to hide the "Jr" tattooed on his forehead.

"Good. Studying hard. Shizuru made me promise I'd get into a good high school, and has me taking a summer class. How 'bout you, Koenma? Haven't seen you much lately."

Koenma's light brown eyes looked around warily. "Ah, well, I've been lying low. My father isn't exactly the forgiving type, and disobeying him to protect Yusuke hasn't exactly won me any Brownie points."

"He's mad, huh?" Kuwabara gave the prince a sympathetic look.

"That's a little bit of an understatement," Koenma said dryly. "Botan manages to send me messages from time to time, and the King isn't exactly happy about my defection, even though Yusuke is now stuck in Demon World."

"Hey! I thought you said we could free Yusuke any time we needed to---" Kuwabara stopped in his tracks, an angry scowl darkening his blunt features.

"We _can_," Koenma hissed, looking around nervously at the scene they were causing. "Keep your voice down, Kuwabara! You want to attract attention? My father has spies everywhere."

"But you said---"

"I know what I said! Come on, let's keep walking. Where are we going, anyway?" Koenma nudged the big lug to get him moving again.

Disgruntled, Kuwabara replied, "Well, I'm going to the Higurashi shrine to return some of the notes I borrowed from Kagome. Hey, you should meet her. She's got the same spiritual power that Yusuke has---had." He grinned at his correction, and Koenma gave him a questioning look. "Well, Yusuke's power is different now. Weird feeling. Like it isn't as clean as it used to be, you know?"

"You do have a powerful spiritual sense, Kuwabara. I'd forgotten how powerful," Koenma mused.

Kuwabara shrugged. "I've always been able to see the weird stuff. Shizuru, too. She says our dead Irish granny was some kind of wise woman or something. I just know Yusuke's power feels different now---"

"That would be his awakened jyaki mixing with his spiritual energy," Koenma explained.

"'Kay. Made him stronger, you know."

"Yes, I know." Koenma looked pensive. "That's one of the reasons my father fears him so much."

"Why? It isn't like Yusuke would go all demon-crazy or something. He's on our side, fighting the good fight," Kuwabara said staunchly.

"Yeah." Koenma didn't look totally convinced, but when Kuwabara drew breath to protest further, the deity quickly inserted, "So this girl---Kagome, was it? She's like Yusuke? In what way?"

Distracted, Kuwabara said, "Well, she's got an incredible aura---like Yusuke. And it's all clean and shiny like his used to be. Inuyasha called her a miko---"

"Inuyasha?" Koenma asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah." Kuwabara grinned. "He's half a dog, or something. A half-demon. Like Yusuke, 'cept he was born that way, and didn't have to die to become one. And get this, Koenma, he's from like five hundred years in the past! Isn't that crazy? He came through a dry well, or Kagome fell down it, or something---"

_"What?" _Koenma stopped dead in his tracks, his brown eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, isn't that crazy? But Souta---that's Kagome's little brother, he likes to play soccer, he's a good kid---he said it was true, that their cat, Buyo---who's old and fat but still a good kitty, he let me pet him for _hours_---though Eikichi got mad when I got back home, kept sniffing me and went sulking off under the bed. It took me _forever_ to get her back out. I had to bribe her with the tuna, and Shizuru was mad that I opened all three cans, and Eikichi yakked all over the rug after eating all of 'em, and…"

Kuwabara trailed off as Koenma held one hand up and planted the other on his forehead, as if he was growing dizzy.

"Eh, Koenma, you okay?" Kuwabara ventured uneasily, not knowing what the hell he could do if something _was_ wrong. He wasn't good with stuff like that, not like his sweet Yukina.

"I think we need to go someplace we can talk, Kuwabara," Koenma said under his hand. "I mean, _really_ talk." Looking around, the prince spied an ice cream parlor. "C'mon, Kuwabara. It'll be my treat."

"Oh, okay." Kuwabara was more than willing to go along if the binky-boy was paying. "But I want two scoops!"

ooOOooOOooOOoo

There was no snow to hinder their path as they crossed the mountains, but there was an icy rain that had Sango wrapping herself firmly inside her cloak and still shivering. The clouds hung low around them, lightning flickering luridly within their depths, and the rain sometimes turned to sleet. Born on a blustery wind that never let up, icy drops managed to find their way inside her hood to trickle past its shielding folds. Her jeans were not the best protection, either, for the denim pulled the cold damp up her legs like a sieve.

The goat track they followed was treacherous and made slow going as they carefully edged their way around one washout after another. Kurama led as the heaviest, testing the path carefully before placing his full weight upon it. Sango tried to put her feet exactly where the nimble kitsune did, but his stride was longer than hers. She stumbled a time or two, barely saving herself with a quick grab for the rough rock. She was glad enough of Hiei's silent presence behind her. Although the short demon could've easily jumped the steep ascent in a matter of seconds, he trailed after them, where his unnatural speed might save either her or Kurama if they slipped and fell.

The constant rain finally let up as the track wound around a last outcrop of stony rubble, disappearing behind a craggy protrusion that stuck out like a giant, stubborn chin. The going was tricky, for the rough surface was slick. Loose rocks turned under her boots, gravel skittering down the mountain face behind her. Sango had to keep all of her concentration on creeping past the out-flung rock, bracing her weight on her bent arms as the path narrowed to mere toe-holds and she had to use her hands to anchor herself against the stone.

Past the protrusion was a mean scramble through loose shale that cut her palms as she literally crawled up it, pebbles showering in her wake. She saw Kurama glance back at them, his red hair brilliant against the muted green folds of his over-robe, which he had folded shawl-like around his head and shoulders to stave off the rain. He made some sign to Hiei, who suddenly reappeared at the top of the steep summit, extending an arm down to help the kitsune up the last verge, which was almost a vertical incline of rough rock.

Sango inched over to the spot the kitsune had just left, feeling her way by touch more than sight. The stone firmed beneath her, and she looked up, extending her hand to grasp the calloused palm of the waiting fire demon. He braced his weight, the muscles bulging under the bandages along his right arm as he literally hauled her up and over that final hurdle with an ease that left her breathless. Her boots skidded out from under her at the last minute, and it was only the firm anchor of his arm that kept her from sliding back down the mountain.

"Thanks," she managed to gasp as she got her feet back under her. She glanced around the windswept plateau, which spread in a sort of shallow bowl for several yards in the unnatural crack that had split one mountain into two, creating the pass they had just climbed. A few hardy scrubs had taken root here and there in the mostly limestone-looking rock, which was stained a darker brown by the earlier shower. The clouds hovered, their lavender bellies traced with swollen purple shadows as muffled thunder rumbled in the distance. Kurama had already crossed the small space to glance over the far edge, possibly scoping out the best path for their descent.

About to release her hand, Hiei paused, his fingers tightening on the ends of hers as he abruptly turned it over. Sango looked back curiously, surprised as the rough pad of his thumb lightly crossed her palm, which was dotted with blood.

"You're bleeding," he accused, as if he personally affronted by the fact.

"Only a little." Sango shrugged, wondering what the big deal was. The shallow wounds stung, but would heal within a few hours. She tugged lightly, but he didn't take the hint. Ignoring her frown, he stared at her opened palm, drawing it closer. A startling thought occurred to her, one she remembered Inuyasha doing, and she burst out, scandalized, "You're not going to _lick_ it, are you?"

Hiei dropped her hand like it was on fire. Abruptly turning on one heel, he gave her a scathing look before vanishing.Immediately contrite, Sango looked anxiously around for the apparition's reappearance, intending to go and apologize, but Kurama stopped her with a smile.

"Don't worry," he said, holding out a bottle of antiseptic he had pulled from his pack.

"But---" Sango still felt like an ass.

"He'll get over himself soon enough," Kurama said conspiratorially, his eyes crinkling up at the corners in amusement.

"You presume too much, fox." The growl came from some distance above them as Hiei's black silhouette appeared on the scanty ledge up on their right.

"Heh." The corner of Kurama's mouth quirked as the short apparition turned to scan the distant hills. The kistune only placed the bottle in Sango's palm, curling her fingers around it. "Best to take care of those. The risk of infection is not to be taken lightly, even with our quick youkai healing."

Sango nodded, accepting the gentle reproof. Easing her pack from her shoulders with a grimace, she sat down on a convenient, if chillingly damp, rock and used a corner of the gauze the fox gave her to dab at the various abrasions. She winced, for the raw alcohol of the monks' antiseptic stung. She lightly bandaged her hands before returning the medical supplies to the fox, who was tapping a finger against his chin as he scanned the cloudy skies above them.

"Kurama?" Sango hesitated to disturb him, but the fox smiled vaguely to reassure her, eyes still on the lowering clouds.

"I wonder if we should stay here and rest." He looked around the windswept bowl with a frown. "It's not the ideal campsite, but this might be the last chance we have before crossing the border…"

_'Into enemy territory,' _Sango finished his unspoken thought, and shivered.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Not long after they decided on staying in the pass for the night, the rain started up again. Kurama used the water to force-grow some type of broad-leafed plant in the sandy rock that provided a bit of shelter from the icy barrage. A few drops still managed to seep through the layered leaves to splat on them at odd moments. One such drop slipped down Hiei's cheek, and he scowled, impatiently wiping it away.

Although the cold did not affect him, it was annoying they were all huddled in this tiny space like rats in a hole instead of continuing on. But Kurama was probably right that they should snatch what rest they could before venturing into the foothills of Mukuro's land. Who knew what would be waiting for them on the other side---Mukuro was hardly as picky as Raizen when it came to his territory. The king certainly wasn't as particular or exclusionary as the Toushin. He'd let any trash in, as long as they survived the often brutal violence that erupted between separate bands and villages. Not that that was anything new to Hiei---life in Demon World had always been ruled by survival of the fittest, and there was nothing wrong with that. Those too stupid or weak to survive didn't deserve to do so, and Mukuro was nothing if not a traditionalist.

A chuff of noise made Hiei's head turn, and he negligently watched as the taiji-ya, whose bedroll was between his spot and Kurama's, scowled down at her dirty sock, which was worn at the heel. Peeling it off, she rubbed at the blister starting to form. It would be gone by morning, of course, but if her boot kept rubbing the skin there, it would be a continual irritation that might slow them down. Nostrils flaring with impatience, Hiei gave the kitsune a sharp glance.

_'Do you have any spare bandages in that U-haul you call a pack, fox?'_

Kurama raised an inquiring brow, though he kept his reply equally silent. _'Do you need to rewrap the Dragon's seal on your arm? I don't know if I have enough---'_

Hiei responded with an impatient look. _'No. It's for the hanyou.'_

"Oh?" Turning to the taiji-ya, Kurama immediately spotted the problem. Plucking a small roll of gauze from his pack, he leaned over. "Sango? Does it hurt? Do you need me to lance it?"

Disgusted with the kitsune's patent over-concern and rather irritated by the taiji-ya's surprised gratitude as she took the gauze but not the kitsune's offer of treatment, Hiei closed his eyes and waited for Kurama to quit fussing over the girl. He heard the scrape of tearing cloth and opened his eyes only wide enough to watch her deftly cut through the gauze and wrap the bottom of her foot. He kept watching under lowered lids as she made a face at her dirty sock, shoving it back inside her discarded boot before taking the other off to rub her foot and wiggle her toes. She had surprisingly dainty feet, with high arches. The pink polish the stupid detective had so boorishly pointed out was mostly scraped off. She frowned at it, her thumb rubbing over the faded color on her big toe, and Hiei wondered what she was thinking about.

And then wondered what in the hell _he_ was thinking of in wondering that. Gods, he was losing it. That damn nuisance of a Spirit Detective was still influencing him, even when he wasn't around. Mentally shuddering at the thought, Hiei turned his eyes away with a dark scowl, meeting Kurama's steady green gaze.

_'And what do _you_ find so amusing, fox?' _Hiei growled into the redhead's mind, but the fox only smiled enigmatically, tossing over a withered rue-pear that the fire apparition neatly nicked out of the air. Sango's head came up at the sudden movement, and Kurama's smile grew noticeably warmer as he passed her another. She thanked the kitsune, accepting the dried jerky and ball of rice that were standard fare for dinner. She passed them on to Hiei, who ate his share with his usual dispatch, neatly cleaning the sticky rice from his fingers with his tongue. Eying him, Sango leaned over and whispered to Kurama, who nodded.

Glaring at the exchange, Hiei was discomfited when the kitsune dug back inside his pack and casually offered him more of the jerky. Never one to pass up food---for there had been plenty of times in his childhood he had gone without---Hiei took it with a suspicious scowl.

Sango suddenly grinned. "Is that your 'thank you' glare, Hiei?"

Kurama laughed and Hiei's scowl darkened. "That one's his 'I'm going to kill you slowly,' glare." The kitsune sat back, his manner droll.

"Hn." Annoyed by their amusement at his expense, Hiei ignored them to strip the tough jerky in three quick bites, making certain his sharp fangs showed as he did so to remind them he was not someone it was wise to mess with.

"Is that supposed to impress?" Sango's light teasing made Hiei's red eyes snap over in surprise. Her dark eyes were lightened to a warm chocolate hue. "I've seen bigger fangs on a kitten."

Kurama muffled a laugh in his sleeve as Hiei's gaze grew frigid.

The taiji-ya relented, explaining, "Well, Kirara _was_ a nekomata. Her true form was a bit larger than her kitten one."

"Kirara?" Kurama raised an elegant brow.

Sango faltered, a flash of pain darting through her eyes before she said lightly, "She was my friend and companion since before I can even remember. Almost like a mother to me and my brother, Kohaku, since our own died at his birth. Kirara was always there to guide and protect us. She…died in that last battle with Naraku."

She dropped her eyes to her hands, slowly tracing a calloused fingertip across the wrinkled skin of the pear she held uneaten in her palms. Silence descended, and the patter of the rain overhead was too loud in the sudden tension. Hiei disliked the stiff line of the girl's narrow shoulders, and said sharply to distract himself from it, "Do you know where Mukuro's fortress lies, Kurama?"

"I have a rough idea." The kitsune pursed his lips, his eyes glancing from the taiji-ya, who had looked up in sudden interest, to the apparition, who carefully kept his expression blank. Hiei knew he wasn't fooling the fox any, but he didn't care what Kurama thought. Let him ponder the reasons for his interference---it had worked, hadn't it? For the girl was now leaning forward to study the rough map Kurama was detailing on his bedroll, using the rumpled wrinkles to indicate positions with his finger.

Hiei let his mind wander, as he knew well the key defenses of the demon king's territory. There was really nothing more significant than a large village or small town within Mukuro's borders, as few of the rough primitives who made their home there could quit fighting long enough to cooperate and make treaties. It was all very neat and traditional, and the king played one faction against another, deliberately inciting the blood feuds that ran deep among the various youkai clans. But then, Mukuro was rather known for his vindictiveness and petty cruelty. As long as his rule went unchallenged and he could conscript his massive army from among the clan ranks, the king did not overly concern himself with how those under him conducted their day-to-day affairs. The king even welcomed the banished or hunted of other realms to his. He recruited many of the cutthroats and murderers to his army, which was known for its bloodthirsty infighting. Rank was based on those who could keep it long enough against any challenger to actually make use of it to command, and only the king's rumored Elite Guard served the rapacious demon with any true loyalty or oaths of fealty.

The two murmuring voices blended together as Kurama explained what Hiei already knew, and the demon lightly dozed as he grew bored with the conversation. Eventually, the light died as the hidden sun set, and both hanyou folded themselves inside their sleeping bags. Not needing to rest as weak humans did, Hiei kept brooding watch, listening to the rain scatter against the layered leaves overhead as the wind whistled through the mountains. He could hear the soft snores of the taiji-ya, and smirked, for even Kurama did not feel so secure in his surroundings as to make such a noise. She was all but unaware of it, which was even more ironic.

His eyes flicked over her, though there was not much to see under the muffled darkness of her cloak. She slept curled on her side, facing him, her head pillowed on one arm. Her bangs were tangled across her cheek, the longer strands of her thick ponytail spilling over her shoulder and back. She looked too innocent while sleeping, like a child. It should have irritated him, but the vulnerability of that innocence was almost…appealing.

_'Appealing. Hn.' _Closing his eyes, he pulled up the memory of her standing in the light of the setting sun in the gorse-choked desert as they crossed Raizen's lands. She had had her eyes closed then, too, her very being stretching out towards the sun as if she could soak up its warmth. There had been something so appealing as she stood there, her face bathed in the fire of the setting sun, the brown strands in her black hair turned to burnt umber as her lithe, acutely feminine body was sharpened into shadowed outline by the sun's last rays. She had looked like a tennyo of fire, a phoenix rising up out of the ashes of the shadows at her feet as the light danced all around her. She had somehow summoned the jyaki in the air to her, merging with its sun-warmed breath. He could not contain his reaction to it, for she had unknowingly drawn him and every other damn demon there along with it.

Hiei suppressed a growl as jealousy spiked through him at the memory of the others' reactions. He could not contain the irritation, then, either---though he was rather smug that it was _he_ she had locked eyes with, and none of the others. Until Kurama had adroitly insinuated himself, breaking the silent tension between them by distracting her. Hiei was actually grateful to the kitsune for interfering, for it had given him the chance to get a hold of himself and rein in the raw desire that had enflamed him with the beguiling sight.

He was not one to let his more primitive emotions rule him; he had done enough of that as a child. He might have seen her uncanny effect on him in the desert as dangerous to his self-control, but he was rather arrogantly assured that he could control his raw reaction to her startling appeal as ruthlessly as he did any other. He was not a fool to give in to his baser instincts. He was a past master at controlling them, and now was neither the time or place to give in to such desires.

Not that she would welcome such a thing from him. He had little to recommend him as a lover, as he had never found it that urgent to relieve himself of his virginity in any of the arms of the various female youkai who'd offered. He didn't have time for such distractions---although he was far from innocent of the logistics involved in the act. He'd been raised by bandits, some of whom spent their coin as quickly as they could on drink and women. The coupling in the corner of a raunchy tavern that reeked of filth and vomit had never given him the desire to know why so many of the men seemed so eager for it. His wandering after, and his contempt for the cold women who had cast him out as a mere babe, had never given him much respect for a sex often weaker than he. He could only despise that weakness, for strength was ever his own driving aim.

Not that he couldn't appreciate beauty. There was something almost achingly unattainable in true perfection. Like the vast sweep of an ancient forest, or the glittering blue ice of a frozen tundra, the sinuous curves of the Dragon he contained, or the fitful play of lightning across a violet sky. The beauty of a woman---there was something almost achingly unattainable in that as well. The delicacy and grace of their movements, the soft lines of their hidden curves, the sweep of a coy look under lowered lashes as the petals of their lips parted invitingly into a knowing smile…

But he had been denied that by his very birth among women who had forever renounced men. The koorime had been beautiful in their frigid way, as his twin sister was beautiful in her gentleness and kindness. But still, it was something inaccessible to him, twisted as he was by being born with a nature in direct opposition to his breed.

He was haunted by the memory of a woman he had rescued some time in the past, during his long wandering after finally locating his mother's village. Following the strange draw of repressed energy, he had fought through a golden dragon's barriers to find a naked woman bound in chains in the heart of a crystal demon. Shattering her free of her confinement, he had extended his hand to her as she rose, the deep sadness in her eyes calling out to him. She had reached for him as well, and their fingers had almost brushed, but delicate wings had unfolded from her back and she had made quick her escape---afraid, perhaps, of being caught again. Her last look was one of regret and apology just before she turned to flee.

Somehow, that memory signified everything ever unattainable to him, and he grew uneasy as he relived the poignancy of it. But most alarming of all was when the pale youkai turned to face him, it wasn't with the beautifully remote features of the swan demon with her ethereal blue eyes, but the dark, haunted eyes of the slayer who lay sleeping beside him…

Hiei jerked back in surprise, and his eyes opened in confusion as the damp darkness of the leafy tent surrounded him. He must have nodded off, and somehow his memories had twisted around themselves in his dreams. His shoulders twitched, and he frowned. Eyes flicking over the girl who lay beyond him, he brooded long into the night as the rain-ridden wind continued to moan desolately around them.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Whew! Lemme tell ya, this chapter was a dog to write, and edit, and finally post. I've dithered over it for months, thinking I have not included enough description of the journey. But sometimes, the journey is just that, the journey. And the end is where the action is. Though this is hardly the end… (MWAHAHAHAHA)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Twenty-Five**_

The nightmarish trek through this so-called Mukuro's lands was not something Sango ever wanted to remember. At times it seemed as if they literally had to hack their way through a mob of blood-maddened demons. Demons who continually attacked them for no apparent reason other than they had strayed across their path or territory. It was never a fair fight, for such bestial brutes as they crossed swords with rarely had the wit to pose any real challenge. Ruled by their baser instincts, low-class youkai such as these were primitive and all but mindless with rage and violence, like rabid dogs let loose on each other.

They were the sort of demon Sango had been raised to fight, for before the kakai barrier had been set by Spirit World, such nasty monsters had ravaged freely across the land of her birth. Preying on her people, who had little defense against such marauding savages, Sango had never questioned the rightness of her calling. She had been young when Naraku attacked her village and slaughtered her clan, and that evil had blinded her to anything else. It was _right_ for her to despise youkai, save those few she counted as personal friends.

The long centuries that had followed---well, she had never felt the need to question her views. Demons were bad. They deserved to die. It was a simple, rather childish perspective, but she had had countless examples before her of demons as eager to kill her as she was to kill them. Her hatred for Naraku and all the others who had ever gone after the Jewel for the empty promise of its power only fueled her disgust and anger.

But only the most petty or pathetic of demons had ever needed the Jewel, for they were too weak to attain power and strength on their own. Like those demons too impatient to hone their natural abilities through training, and ate human flesh for the quicker road to power it gave them, the Shikon no Tama was only a magic pill for the weak (and weak-minded) who sought to hasten the process, like some humans used diet pills or steroids.

And so Sango's disdain---fed by her own bitterness and hatred---had only felt justified over the years. She would never know how many of those youkai that she had fought and killed were tainted by the angry aura of her own self-rejection, as those poor innocents in the Forest of Fools. Since coming to Makai, she had been forced to confront everything she had ever believed about herself and the world around her, and what she had found left her both humbled and ashamed.

For how could she despise what she herself now was? How could she hate a world that welcomed her home like one lost and even missed for that loss? How could she not see the vibrant beauty of such a diverse place and embrace it in wonder and awe? Yes, it was violent and dark, petty and cruel, just as nature in the living world could be harsh and cruel, just as men could be dark and petty and violent to each other. But with the worst came also the best, bringing out yin for yang, in love and kindness, compassion and forgiveness, rebirth and renewal. Surprised to find in Makai the same balance of extremes that existed in living world, she could only regret how narrow-minded and blind she'd been.

But Sango had been awakened in more ways than one here in Makai. Perhaps in ways she might not even guess yet, for she didn't delve too deeply, ever cautious of too much emotion and the cost it could bring. But she could not take any of her formerly grim sense of righteousness in the senseless battles they now fought among demons really too weak to oppose them.It troubled her, making her restless and weary of the constant fighting, though it did not stop her from doing what she must. The battlefield was never a place for one to pause, lest it result in your death. It was only _after,_ when the battle was over and they left the dead far behind them, when they might snatch a few hours of sleep hiding in some cave or shelter Kurama found, that such thoughts plagued her.

And those times were few and far between, for they were kept constantly on the run, skulking from one place to another to avoid any of the countless, roving patrols of Mukuro's garrisons. A more vicious, inept band of opportunists she had never met. Those thieving cutthroats were little better than the mindless youkai they so-called policed, and Sango had to despise a king who could employ such brutes under his standard. It was as if the king did not care what went on in his lands, as long as his rule went uncontested. Such unconcern spoke of a petty despot only concerned with their own power and how far they could advance it.

Something that was all too reminiscent of a petty narcissist like Naraku…

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Kagome? There's someone here to see you."

Distracted from her homework by her mother's summons, Kagome was more than willing to abandon it in favor of finding out who it was. Emerging from her room, she was unsurprised to meet Inuyasha at the top of the stairs. Cap and scowl in place, the ever-protective hanyou muttered a grouchy excuse. Warmed and exasperated by her boyfriend's jealous paranoia, Kagome stopped to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. The gesture had the dual effect of showing her gratitude and distracting the hanyou long enough for her to get down the stairs before he leapt down to startle those below. It was often easier to explain Inuyasha's quirks after they met her, the more normal one.

Not that Gramps was giving a good impression of their normalcy, for the old man was all but fawning over the handsome young man who stood beside the hard-to-miss redhead from her Saturday class. Eying her grandfather, who had grabbed the brown-haired man's hand and was repeatedly bowing like some deranged Bobble-head, Kagome prayed for patience as she said too-brightly, "Hi, Kuwabara! What brings you here?"

"Hi, Kagome." The redhead shifted uneasily, his black eyes sliding over to the silver-haired hanyou who stood behind her with his arms crossed. "Hey, there, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha grunted, his amber eyes pinned on the brown-haired man, who had extricated himself from Gramps long enough to look up at them. There was something about him that made Kagome wary, but not in a bad way. Something naggingly familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Inuyasha must have felt it too, for the hanyou stiffened.

"Who the hell are you?" The hanyou vaulted over the banister to confront the handsome man with a growl.

Leave it to Inuyasha to be rude. Kagome frowned, but wasn't the one to thump the hanyou upside the head.

"He's a god, young man! Show some respect!"

"Gramps!" Kagome protested even as Inuyasha scowled down at the old man, who scowled back. Poking a rigid finger into the hanyou's chest, Gramps went off on one of those rare tirades that got him all worked up and red as in the face. He was kind of scary when he did that. Normally a mild and indulgent man, if a little eccentric, there was little that could set Gramps off except what he considered a slight to his deep faith. The little old priest was even managing to intimidate Inuyasha, who was backing up into the living room with wide amber eyes as the old man reamed him but good.

"Oh, dear." Mama gave Kagome a worried look, hurrying after them. Silence descended on the front hall, and Kagome tried to plaster a smile on her face and salvage what she could of the situation.

"Eh, hi! My name is Kagome Higuarashi!" She thrust out her hand, and gasped when the young man took it. For a second, so much power surged up around her she all but hummed with it. Little blue and white lightnings went off around them, and she could hear some type of strange harmony playing across him, as if a dozen angels were singing. Kagome hastily let go, and the music and light died.

"What was that?" she demanded, strangely out of breath. "Just who are you? You're not a demon, and you feel like…like…Midoriko!" She suddenly placed the familiar feeling, and poked him in the chest, only to snatch her finger back as that awesome power flared up again. "Ow."

"Kagome!" Kuwabara looked aghast. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Kagome huffed. Narrowing her brown eyes, she wisely crossed her arms this time and demanded, "Just who are you?"

"My apologies." The man looked rather sheepish. "I've never been good with introductions. Normally George handles all that for me. My name's Koenma, and---"

"He's the son of King Yama," Kuwabara helpfully supplied. "Prince of the Spirit World."

"Yama?" Kagome had to sink down on the step, her brown eyes wide. "So Gramps is right? You're a god?"

"Demi-god." Koenma shrugged uncomfortably. He looked rather…un-regal. Not like what she would picture a god to look like---more like an apprehensive teenager. But then, the monkey god she had once met hadn't impressed her all that much, either. In fact, Koenma looked so discomfited that Kagome felt her sympathy rising.

"Well, it's…uh…nice to meet you, Koenma."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"You have something for me?" The king lounged across the ugly throne as if it were the most comfortable divan. Made of the bones and weapons of past enemies, large jewels of uncommon beauty and luster were stuck at random across its surface. Many adorned the gaping eye-sockets of various demon skulls. They glinted luridly as the commander bowed gracefully before the throne, seeming to watch his every move as he raised his helmed head and brought one fist to his chest in salute.

"I do, my lord," Kirin said, his deep voice muffled by the chin-guard he rarely took off. Rising to his feet, he nodded slightly to the Elite Guard standing just to the left of the king's throne. Shigure's thin lips twisted into a proxy of a smile, his eyes narrowing on the demon-soldier that the commander waved forward.

The soldier cringed his way closer. Dropping to his knees, he bowed his ugly green head and nervously offered a small round globe nestled in the satin embrace of a red pillow with black tassels.

"A Spirit of Words?" Mukuro asked, the raspy, dual tonalities of the demon's voice sending shivers down the soldier's spine. The tassels that decorated the pillow grew steadily more agitated as the demon king decided this warranted enough interest for him to rise from his throne and cross over to get a better look.

"Yes, my lord," Kirin bowed his head as the king stepped closer to examine the delicate globe. Hands bound together in front of him by white silk and powerful sutras, the shorter demon leaned forward to peer at the innocent-looking ball of light with one bulging blue eye.

The interest sharpened in the blue depths as the king observed, "It's shielded against casual intrusion, locked into a particular youkai's signature. It must be quite important for that upstart Yomi to have gone to so much trouble."

"Yes, my lord," Kirin agreed, "which is why I had the messengers tortured upon capture."

"And did you learn anything of note, Commander?" The single eye pinned him with acidic mockery. Kirin returned the stare unwaveringly, one of only a few who could do so, for the power that radiated off of the slight youkai was daunting.

"Perhaps, my lord," Kirin said, unashamed to admit uncertainty to his lord. It was one of the reasons the king kept him around. Steadfast in his loyalty, Kirin had never played the sycophant. He had no need to, for his abilities outweighed every other youkai in Mukuro's realm. Except for the king's, of course---whose power was unmatched save by his rivals, Raizen and Yomi.

Kirin gestured to the small globe, which brightened, as if it recognized that it was being discussed. It did not have any true awareness, however. It was just a capsule of sound, a recording of words from one to another. "We learned that this Spirit of Words is intended for a silver kitsune named Youko Kurama, whom you might recall is a legendary thief that disappeared some seventeen years ago."

"Really? Do tell me more," Mukuro drawled.

"We learned that the fox spirit hid himself in a boy born in the human world, and has just recently returned to Makai. He was somehow involved in all that commotion with Itsuki and the rogue detective who opened a tunnel to Ningenkai near the Plateau of the Beheaded."

Shigure allowed disdain to curl his pierced lip as Mukuro shrugged, dismissing it as unimportant. "And why is Yomi interested in this boy-fox?"

"Unfortunately, my lord, that we do not know." Kirin bowed his head, allowing disgust to roughen his mild voice. "The messengers were never told, and they died screaming their ignorance under our most inventive methods of torture."

"Hmmm." Mukuro drew away from the small bauble, his mind turning over the possible implications. The kneeling soldier lowered the raised pillow with a sigh of relief that made the king stiffen. Whipping around, he snapped, "Get that cringing worm out of my sight! The stench of his fear is annoying. I will not tolerate fools and cowards in my presence."

The soldier's complexion paled, turning his green skin a sickly shade.

"As you wish, my lord." Kirin bowed. "How shall we kill him?"

Mukuro waved a sharp dismissal. "Death is too good for him. Send him to the swamps, where he can guard the rotting mud flats from the fecal flies."

"My lord grows merciful," Kirin observed as the soldier abased himself and fled, not daring to utter his gratitude lest the mercurial king change his mind. The king's bodyguard escorted him out, muttering orders to the demon outside the door before resuming his post. The tinkle of the bell he wore on a ring sunk into his right temple was the only sound Shigure made as he re-crossed the room.

Mukuro resumed his throne, his bulging blue eye narrowing on the Commander. "There is more, isn't there, Kirin?"

"Of course, my lord." Kirin's voice warmed with pride for his king's acuity. "Our spies report that King Raizen has finally found an heir."

"I grow impatient with your dithering, Commander," Mukuro said in a dangerously droll voice. The blue eye glittered amid the tattered bandages and sutras that covered the demon's head to the shoulders.

"My apologies, my lord." Kirin bowed again, meeting the king's gaze unflinchingly. "It is a human boy named Yusuke Urameshi. He seems to be some kind of descendant of the Toushin's. The Mazoku gene awoke within him during the tunnel escapade, and Raizen sent his second-in-command, Hokushin, to escort him back to the King's city."

Mukuro snorted, his raspy voice disdainful as he said, "Raizen has always had a disgusting care for humans; I did not realize his perversion had run to taking them as lovers."

"You underestimate their appeal, my lord," Shigure ventured, his deep voice amused. "Humans have a certain…zest."

"I do not care to know what sport you take with your dinner, doctor," Mukuro said mildly. "I prefer my meat well-cooked, not raw and running."

"Not that you partake of human flesh all that often," Shigure replied, as few dared. But the former surgeon had chosen to serve the king for his own reasons, and his skill was such that he had quickly earned a place as one of only seventy-seven in the king's Elite Guard. Shigure's arrogance was total, but like the Commander, he was one of those the king allowed the liberty of voicing their opinion.

Mukuro dismissed it with an airy wave as he settled back in his seat. "You know, Commander, I find it rather interesting that both this Youko Kurama and Yusuke Urameshi were involved in that tunnel business, and that Yomi has taken an interest in one and Raizen the other. I know you have thought of that angle as well, and investigated. Tell me what you have learned."

Kirin bowed his head in appreciation for the king's compliment. "As you will, sire." He detailed how the two were linked to Spirit World, adding the interesting twist that King Yama had sent an assassin after the Mazoku, but that assassin had turned coat and joined the ex-detective and spirit fox and one other demon they had not been able to catch sight or name of. The four had gone with Hokushin to Raizen's city, where Yusuke now trained to step into the dying King's shoes.

"And what of the other three?" Mukuro asked, intrigued by the Commander's deliberate baiting.

"Why, my lord, they are here, just outside the fortress." Kirin smiled behind his mask, his eyes glowing with the thought of the coming bloodshed. "There is the possibility Raizen has sent them as a decoy, to distract you from the heir he has just claimed. We have let them approach, thinking you might have fun with them. I know how you respect audacity."

"You are ever thinking of my needs first, aren't you, Kirin?" the king remarked dryly.

"Always, sire." Kirin bowed, fist to his chest, with fervent loyalty. "If I may, my lord, I have noted a certain melancholy boredom in you of late. I thought these three might provide you with some amusement."

Mukuro said nothing, only staring down at his Commander as if deciding how to address his assertion.

"Our flying camera spies have already recorded them outside the walls, my lord. They are quite good at staying hidden; it was difficult for us to track their movements. But we were able to catch this…" Kirin motioned to the flesh-covered wall, which rippled and smoothed out as a yellow glow grew along it. A reel of still images flickered past, then stopped as he waved.It was a frozen picture of a crouching redhead, face turned away, beside a slight female who was drawing her hood up to hide hers as well, but not quickly enough for the still shot. A third form was a blurred shadow behind them.

Shigure's eyes widened upon sight of the girl's face. The bell at his temple tinkled as he abruptly lifted his giant ring-sword over his head and put it carefully aside. "If I may, my lord?" he asked, and Mukuro nodded assent, curious as to why the bodyguard was suddenly so interested.

Going to the wall, Shigure expanded the picture, his eyes taking in the delicate features and dark brown eyes that looked so resolutely determined. He traced a finger down the right side of her cheek, and when he turned back, his black eyes glinted. "How utterly ironic, my lord. I know this girl---she was once a patient of mine. I thought her long dead. How sweet to know she's survived."

The iron-haired demon smiled. "There is really only one reason I can think of as to why she would come seeking you, my lord, and I think you will find it_ quite_ amusing."

"Really." The king's blue eye rested on the still face. "Tell me more, doctor."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"I don't like how easily we penetrated the fortress's outer defenses," Kurama muttered as Sango crouched beside him. His green eyes rove the dark tunnel before them with suspicion as Sango drew her hood further up to better hide her features.

"We're inside, fox," Hiei growled. "What more do you want? An engraved invitation?"

Kurama refused to be baited. He tested the air, wrinkling his nose at the fetid smell. Mukuro's fortress was made of the gigantic exoskeleton of some type of insect demon, and he had an uneasy feeling the spider-beetle wasn't as dead as it appeared. The tunnel seemed long abandoned, with dust and spiders and other crawling and flying insects making homes within its dark environs. He didn't like the ominous quiet, and Youko was strangely reticent. Only a strong sense of disquiet and foreboding came from that spark deep within him, and Kurama wasn't certain if it was the circumstance or the lack of any real information. Youko was even more cautious than he when eliciting conclusions.

Kurama didn't like any of this. Even the journey to get here had been _too_ easy. True, they were forced to fight nearly every day as they crossed the thick forests of Mukuro's rolling valleys. Keeping to the back roads and avoiding contact with the few villages and the king's bumbling guards at all costs, they had managed to make their way to the King's very fortress with none the wiser. Or so he hoped. He would have preferred to take more time to gather additional information, just as Hiei would have preferred they not hide in the deeper forest like a band of thieves. The short demon despised secrecy just as much as Kurama despised being openly confrontational. Hiei hated "skulking," as he called it. It was Sango---the name still felt like a gift somehow, even after a week of casually getting used to it---who had managed to persuade them both into a compromise of staying covert but not overly so, somehow balancing the polar opposites of their opinions with her persuasive sense.

Not that there wasn't a treacherous part of him that was all too willing to give in to the taiji-ya. He tried to justify his ready capitulation by the inane reason that it was her quest, after all, and thus her call. But it was more a softening---foolish as it was, and look where it had gotten him, ill-prepared and uneasily staring into the mouth of a tunnel at the foot of a demon king's mysterious fortress!--- of his normal caution and control giving in to her appeal. Stupid as that was, it was what it was, and he was rather certain that had been Hiei's problem as well.

Still, they somehow worked remarkably well together, even with their differing personalities. It was the small things that brought it out. In a week of "skulking," they had been forced to rely on each other, from taking turns keeping watch as the other two slept, to working as a team fighting the various youkai who attacked them. Not that any of the mindless brutes had caused them much trouble. Still, the incessant fighting grew tiresome, and Kurama secretly began to wonder if the traditions of Demon World---that "survival of the fittest" was the only way---were not rather outdated. Living in the human world had affected him in strange ways, and seeing the history of Japan unfold once the kakai net was in place and humans could start cooperating with each other…well, it skewed his views of the world of his birth.

But now was hardly the time for rumination, as Hiei sharply reminded him with a casual "Let's go," before abruptly disappearing. Hand on her hilt, Sango followed with a shrug. Kurama paused, eyes flicking over the fetid maw about to close over them, and with a fatalistic shrug of his own, readied a rose and followed them inside.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"That's it?" Kuwabara didn't look impressed. Koenma had to admit it wasn't much to look at---just a rickety, box-shaped table of wood, the shuttered top pasted over with sacred sutras. The sutras weren't that powerful. For all his deep faith, the old priest, Mr. Higurashi, only had a mediocre talent.

Descending the last step, the godling crossed the dusty floor to stand beside the dry well. Reaching out, his fingers smoothed over the paper seals. The sacred writing glowed under his touch, making Kagome gasp behind him. But there was really no need for him to strengthen the power of the shielding sutras, for the well was a dead thing. Whatever power it once had over time was gone, or hidden so deep it could not be broken from this side of the dimensional barrier.

Distastefully wiping the dust off his fingers on his lapel, Koenma shook his head. "It's gone. Whatever power the Bone-Eater's Well once had has fled."

"Tell us something we don't know," Inuyasha growled with a roll of his eyes. Koenma's mouth quirked. The belligerent hanyou was a lot like Yusuke, save for the claws and ears and silver hair. Though Yusuke had been pretty hairy the last time he saw him, Koenma mused. That was when the Mazoku gene had first awoken within the ex-detective and some mysterious demon ancestor had taken control of his body long enough to off Sensui.

Koenma frowned. He didn't like being reminded of his mistakes, and Sensui had been a big one. This well was another. Sometimes there was just too much to do in Spirit World. Between the mountains of paperwork and the processing and dispensation of souls, the policing of human world and the constant administrative duties, the work never seemed to end. It was no wonder his father had been so willing to turn it over to him. Koenma had wanted so badly to help, to prove himself capable and worthy of the stern man he'd idolized---terrible pun as that was, considering Yama was a god.

He _had_ idolized his father, though. For the King seemed so powerful and perfect to a son who often felt keenly the differences between them. King Yama would never have hired a troubled boy like Sensui, nor let the powerful artifacts stored in the castle's Vault be stolen or misplaced not once, but _three times,_ in the last five years. Why, the Vault's security systems were his---or had been his, before he defected---responsibility. The dangerous artifacts were kept locked up for a reason, for any one of them could wreak untold havoc in human world if they fell into the wrong hands.

As each of them had.

Shoulders slumping, Koenma guessed that this case---the one involved in the legend of the well and a shattered Jewel that should never have been released from Spirit World, once it was brought there by the miko who'd died protecting it---might never be solved. There was no telling where the Shikon no Tama was right now. At least he now knew how the Jewel had managed to appear fifty years after Kikyo had first brought it to Reikai, but still remained in the castle's vaults until about sixteen years ago. The paradox of having both Jewels---one safe and whole in the vaults, the other shattered into a thousand pieces across Japan in the sixteenth century, was beyond him.

Koenma had dismissed the shattered Jewel as a fake, for in those chaotic times, when he was young and new to his post, there had been many who had tried to recreate the powerful Shikon no Tama with scant success. That the shattered Jewel had been a powerful tool---well, he'd just thought it a better copy than the others, somehow infused with some powerful jyaki, since the demon who managed to gather most of it was able to use it to do some terrible things in the living world. Koenma had been busy helping to erect the kakai barrier then, though, and had had no time to waste on what he considered---at the time---a minor problem.

Those times---what the humans aptly named the Warring States Era---were so tumultuous. What was one more petty, power-hungry demon wreaking havoc across the face of human world? There were hundreds, thousands, of demons in Ningenkai then. It was so terrible, the price on the poor humans so high, that Spirit World had finally decided the best way to solve the problem was to build a barrier powerful enough to keep the demons out. Or, at least, most of them, since a few had still managed to slip through the kakai net, as evidenced by Hiei, Kurama, and even Yukina.

Koenma remembered, vividly, the day the priestess Kikyo had first brought the Shikon no Tama to him. She'd died defending it from her half-demon lover---the very hanyou who now stood rolling his eyes behind him. She'd brought it with her into the afterlife, instructing it be burned with her body so that she could do so. Aware of its terrible power, Koenma had carefully sealed the Jewel away inside the Vault himself before granting the sad-eyed miko's request to wander the planes of Spirit World, rather than be setting on the path to Eternity that her sacrifice warranted. She'd faded from his mind and memory, though he'd thought of her when word came to him, fifty years later, that her reincarnation had appeared in Ningenkai, bearing the Jewel of Four Souls, and freeing her hanyou lover from his sleep-bound arrow to the Goshinboku.

Agitated, for he had not signed the paperwork to release the miko's soul back to the living world, Koenma had gone and checked the Vault. Finding the Shikon there, solidly whole and serenely sitting in its secured drawer, had made him doubt the rumors brought him. He'd been concerned when the (what he thought as fake) Jewel had been shattered, and heard some demon was using the shards for his own evil ambitions. He'd dismissed it, though, as just another petty narcissist wreaking havoc on the humans. He was already doing all he could in trying to build the barrier, which took all Reikai's time and energy, not to mention spiritual power. He'd been exhausted for years after, for it took time to replace that much expended power, even for a demi-god.

When next Koenma had heard, the "fake" Jewel had disappeared into legend, and he'd dismissed it with the legend of the well and the legend of the miko and her hanyou. They had died in some final confrontation with the evil demon, possibly going to hell, the netherworld, since he'd never processed their souls into Spirit World.

Except the reincarnated miko and her hanyou now stood with him in this dusty shack on a shrine built around the God's Tree in the middle of modern-day Tokyo. And the "fake" Jewel that had wreaked such havoc in the Sengoku Jidai had been the _real_ one. For Koenma was entirely too uncomfortably aware that the real Jewel had disappeared some sixteen years ago from the Vault, stolen by the very soul who had first brought it to him. Kikyo had taken it with her into reincarnation---as testified by the girl Kagome, who admitted it had been in her body, all unknowing, until she was pulled by a centipede demoness down the very well he stood beside and wound up five-hundred years in the past.

Kagome was and was not the priestess Kikyo. They shared the same soul, as well as the same love, the same power, the same strength. But Kagome was her own person, as Kikyo had been hers. Koenma did not understand why Kikyo had taken the Jewel from the Vault and set in motion all that occurred, but he at least knew what _had_. Although that was scant comfort for the fact that the Jewel was still missing. Its divided power could lend such immense aid to evil or good, and who knew what terrible havoc it could unleash.

Especially since the careful balance of power in Demon World was in such a precarious state right now. The ferry-girl, Botan, had managed to send Koenma some alarming news concerning the three Kings who ruled Makai. Koenma worried over Yusuke's personal quest in the middle of all that nonsense. Knowing Yusuke, he might very well be in the middle of it---if not the cause.

His concern must have shown on his face, for Kuwabara abruptly demanded, "What's wrong, Koenma? You look a little green."

That was putting it mildly. Koenma was surprised when the girl---so incongruously clad in her school uniform, and yet so powerful a miko it was ridiculous she was still untrained---laid a small hand on his arm. He could feel a sense of well-being following the shock of recognition her spiritual energy, so similar to his, would always spark whenever they touched. He felt his burdens easing under her healing touch. He smiled, recognizing it for what it was, and thanked her. The worry was still there, but blunted, and so he was able to answer the hanyou's irritated demand to know what the hell was going on with wry honesty.

"It's the Jewel of Four Souls. I now know who took it from my father's secured vaults, but I have no idea where it currently is. And with all the tension and unrest in Demon World---well, that little bauble can cause quite a bit of trouble if word got out that it's missing. And my…friends…are there now, in Makai---"

"You saying Yusuke's in trouble?" Kuwabara immediately pounced on that, his expression darkening as his chin jutted out angrily.

"Not entirely, Kuwabara." Koenma sighed, sinking down on one of the wooden steps that led down to the well. "Just that he might be in trouble, if word got out in Makai that Midoriko's legendary Jewel could be anywhere. There's enough tension between the three Kings and their territories that even a rumor of it could throw the whole world into civil war. A war that would make Ningenkai's World Wars look like bratty children fighting over toys."

"The threat alone is really that bad?" Kagome asked in a muted voice. The girl was incredibly intelligent, for all her youthful exuberance. Perhaps it came from having an old soul, one with lots of spiritual power, for Yusuke had that same devastating insight to see straight to the heart of things, dense as he seemed at other times.

Koenma treated her query with all seriousness. "Yes. For whatever happens in Demon World will eventually bleed over into the other three worlds: Spirit, Human and Hell. Somehow, what happens in one is reflected in the others, either taking the form of a devastating war or some terrible natural disaster."

Kagome shivered, and the silver-haired hanyou reached out a clawed hand for hers. They shared a long, measuring look and Koenma raised a brow in question. Kagome suddenly looked vulnerably indecisive, and Inuyasha gave her such a tender look of reassurance that Koenma felt intrusive. He glanced at Kuwabara, who had a fat smile on his face, reveling in the power of true love. As black and white as Kuwabara was in his simple views of the world and his place within it, the tall boy had an intrinsic sense of honor and an unwavering faith in the power of a love that could support and strengthen two into one.

Which was why it was so easy to recognize when the hanyou left some silent decision up to the miko, and then readily accepted it when she gave a slight nod. She turned without a word and darted up the steps past Koenma. He stood up in confusion as the hanyou folded his arms and scowled at them, refusing to say anything except, "She'll be right back, god-boy."

"But---" Koenma looked up the stairs and the hanyou rolled his eyes, clearly impatient with _his_ impatience.

"Hey, I didn't know Kagome was your red-pinky-string soul mate!" Kuwabara mock-punched Inuyasha in the shoulder, a foolish grin spreading across his delighted face.

"My _what?"_ Inuyasha looked askance as Kuwabara explained with soulful intensity, to which Inuyasha said flatly, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Why the hell would you tie a damn piece of string to your mate's fucking finger? What kind of freaky leash is that?"

"It's not a leash!" Kuwabara protested, his brows coming down as his voice rose. "And it's not stupid!"

"It is, too," Inuyasha insisted. Closing his eyes, Koenma sighed as the predictable argument ensued. Their bickering was almost to the point of going physical when the advent of Kagome's return was punctuated by a distracted, "Sit, boy."

Inuyasha was abruptly flat on the ground and Kuwabara was laughing his ass off. Koenma, who had felt the power of the beads around the hanyou's neck but didn't know what they were for, chuckled. He paused, though, when Kagome came up beside him, her hands cupping around something swathed in an absurdly neon pink washcloth.

"What the hell was that for, Kagome---" Inuyasha's protest died when he looked up and saw what she held. They all stared, riveted, as the miko delicately folded back the washcloth to reveal the small item within.

Koenma drew in a startled breath as the miko said regretfully, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you before…but it's not like we can trust just anybody…"

There, nestled in the natted terrycloth, was the Jewel of Four Souls, gleaming with innocent purity across its unbroken, perfectly round and smooth surface.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews, especially those who've hung with the story for so long. It really warms the heart. ^_^ So I leave you with a cliffy, mwahaha! And a promise that the next chapter is already written and should be out very soon. =)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Twenty-Six**_

Her eyes, even enhanced by her demon heart, could not penetrate the stygian darkness of the tunnel, so she closed them to better use her other senses. She could almost taste the fetid damp of the underground warren---it was humid, and reeked of death and rot and dirt. Loathing the poignant reminder of being under the earth, her jaw hardened as her fingers tightened on the comforting hilt of her sword. She heard things skittering in the dark that made her skin crawl, but was comforted by the familiar auras, both fore and aft, of her friends. Hiei was a cold fire sharp in its intensity and light; Kurama a warmth that somehow reminded her of green forests and still pools. Their reassuring presence kept the icy fear at bay, though anticipation knotted her insides.

_'This is it.'_ She was certain of that, for only a despicable bug like Naraku could feel at home in a creepy place like this. Shaped in the form of some huge spider-beetle, she had the uneasy feeling that it wasn't just a fortress. There was a faint pulse, hard to pin down, in the jyaki around them. The air moved almost rhythmically, and the dirt walls slowly changed to some type of fleshy covering. The water that seeped down the walls turned the mud under their feet to splashing squish as they crossed some barrier. It tingled across her skin, distracting her, just as they were attacked.

"Behind you!" Kurama shouted as Sango felt something slither over her legs. She tried to leap free, but was too late, for the tentacle had already wrapped itself around her calves, drawing her knees together. She drew her sword with an angry cry, hacking at the thick tentacle with mindless fury, the memory of Naraku's many puppets sickening her. The tentacle loosened, and savagely calling the wind so that her free fist glowed with it, she punched the leathery skin, burning them both with the intense energy. Hissing in anger at her own foolishness, Sango ignored the pain in her raw knuckles as she gripped her sword in both hands. Swinging it in an overhand arc, she slashed through a second tentacle that reached for her from above.

"No! You won't trap me again, you bastard!" she defiantly cried, becoming a whirlwind of whipping fury, eyes narrowed to mere slits. Although she could not see in the fetid darkness, she could _feel _the jyaki in the tentacles surrounding her. Dozens and dozens attacked, still more coming from the walls and ground and ceiling. The tentacles tried to separate them, but Naraku had tried that tactic before. She fought her way to Hiei's side, throwing knives and balls of wind with equal abandon, literally chopping her way through.

Hiei glanced at her as she joined him, his eyes glowing bloodily in the darkness. He disappeared from her side, to reappear on the other, his sword easily splitting through the thicker length of the tentacle encircling them. Sango threw one of her longer knives, pinning a tentacle to the roof. The end whipped frantically about, until it was chopped off by Kurama's Rose Whip, which quickly cleared a free space as he leapt down to stand between them.

"They know we're here," he said unnecessarily. "Let's go, before they send reinforcements."

His whip snapped forward, elongating to an impossible length and clearing a path before them. They ran, panting, Sango and Hiei slashing at the sides to keep the writhing tentacles at bay.The ground abruptly convulsed beneath them, and Sango sprawled ungracefully against it as Hiei leapt free and Kurama slammed a glowing fist into the fluctuating floor. Suddenly surrounded by a fuchsia glow of demonic energy, Sango winced as tiny flashes exploded across her vision. Her eyes, unused to the light, could not adjust in time to see what happened next. Something grabbed her foot, picking her up off the ground as she cried out, swinging upside down from one caught ankle.

She slashed with her sword, but the thick tentacle she expected was not what trapped her sword in sticky tangles. The sticky mesh was all around her, like a vast web, and she froze for a second as her heart turned to ice. But she had fought demon-spiders before, and knew metal weapons would be of little use. So she called the wind, hissing as the power sang across her singed knuckles. She forced her fingers open, sweeping her flat palm in a wide arc around her. The sticky web tore in the fierce blade of wind, and she fell in an undignified heap, half-landing on Kurama. He quickly wrapped an arm around her, hauling her to his side as he used his thorn whip to cut through the sticky tatters that hung everywhere.

"The spiders---where are the spiders!" Sango shouted, sheathing her sword and doing the complicated hand-over-hand gesture to summon one of her wind-balls.It spun with a whistling shriek as she glanced wildly about for both Hiei and the spiders she knew were hiding somewhere.

Hiei abruptly appeared, crushing something between two claws with a look of disgust. "They're coming," he spat.

"Not for long---" Sango snarled, wriggling out from under Kurama's arm and diving forward. Ruthlessly summoning her jyaki, she hurled the spinning ball of whipping wind with all her might. The white glow that accompanied it lit up the dank tunnel, exposing thousands of spiders in a ghostly aura before its swirling winds caught them up like so many leaves. They disintegrated as the wind exploded in a final, dying shriek.

The tunnel was suddenly silent and empty, the darkness returning as Sango sank to her knees in exhaustion. Her skin felt too thin, her limbs like lead. Her mind reeled, numb from using so much of her jyaki all at once.

"Sango…" Kurama lightly touched her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, and tried to get back up on her feet. She swayed, and had to hold on to Kurama as her mind spun dizzily.

"You little fool." Hiei was suddenly there, on her other side, lending an arm as well. She sagged between them, cursing her weakness, before her head came up and she stiffened.

"Youkai---"

"How nauseatingly typical," Hiei spat as a horde of writhing wyrms emerged from the tunnel's depths. Hiei could not know how right he was---for Naraku had used that lame tactic too many times attacking the Inu-gumi.

"Damn him, he's just playing with us!" Sango screamed, the pain of memories adding an edge of near-hysteria to the tortured cry. She bared her teeth in a snarl as she yanked her sword free.

"Sango, you're too drained; let us---" Kurama coaxed, his fingers tightening on the shoulder of her cloak as Hiei darted forward.

_"No!" _She jerked the snaps at her neck open so she could leap free of the cloak's entangling folds, leaving Kurama behind as she followed Hiei's disappearing form. She met the flying wyrms head-on, her sword flashing and stabbing with a vicious fury unequaled to their low-class power.

"I won't let him! I won't---I won't---I won't!" She used the words like a mantra, the thrust and slash of her sword accompanying each shriek of long-buried pain and denial as her eyes bled with unrestrained rage and bitterness. The darkness that had lain seeping inside her tortured soul for half a millennia beat back the weary exhaustion as the thunder of her heart rose up in a windstorm of howling fury.

"You won't win! Not this time, you bastard! _I won't __**let**__ you!"_

ooOOOoo

The taiji-ya's screams made the surgeon smile. His dark eyes glittered as he demanded, "Is it not entertaining, my lord Mukuro?"

The slighter demon, eyes riveted to the scene unfolding on the wall before them, said mildly, "You find her pain amusing, don't you, Shigure?"

There was something in the harsh dualities of the king's voice that made Shigure pause. He was careful to act casual as he replied probingly, "Certainly, sire. It was that fierce determination and inherent hatred that allowed this human girl to survive a demon heart transplant. Why should I not take delight in her skill and fury? The ironic futility of it all is just too delicious."

Mukuro made a moue of distaste. "This grows tedious. Watching them slaughter lesser demons palls. Your delight in such gauche entertainment shows you're lack of taste, Shigure. I'm truly disappointed. Leave me. Now."

Shigure was no fool. Bowing his head, and wondering how he had insulted his king---though it could be anything, really, lesser youkai than he had failed to discern the enigma that was the Lord Mukuro---he took his leave. He was in the king's disfavor, perhaps for some time. But the King was mercurial, and the surgeon was certain that he would eventually be forgiven whatever it was that made his presence objectionable. So he strode with his head up, faintly smirking as his bell tinkled and the doors boomed shut behind him.

Kirin studied his king thoughtfully. "You do not like this, my lord."

Mukuro's lip curled. "End it, Kirin. Now."

"As you command, my lord." Kirin's husky voice betrayed something akin to approval.

"Bring the girl to me. I will be in my rooms. I don't care how you dispose of the others---though don't kill them, just keep them busy. Test them, maybe. I would see what worth they have, especially the fox. I want to know why he warrants such interest in Lord Yomi."

"As you will, my lord." Kirin bowed as the king airily dismissed the view-screen along the wall and left without once looking back.

ooOOOoo

The trap was easily laid. Too easily. Kurama was disgusted that he had fallen for it, but he had been so distracted by Sango's sudden defection that he'd ignored everything save the need to follow after. Her boiling rage left no room for sense, and she could be taken unawares.

It was ironic, really, that it was _his_ singular need to get to her side and protect her from her own foolishness that was what blinded him to the danger he was in. Dragging her cloak over one arm, he curled his rose whip up in his other hand to go after them, ignoring the tiny points of jyaki converging all around him. There was so much jyaki in this damn tunnel---from the wryms, the tattered webs, the shredded tentacles that lay behind them. Even the fleshy walls gave off a faint, ominous glimmer, threading through the sparks of life crawling all over its surface.

The King was unimaginative---for it was spiders, again, who attacked him. But the King was not a fool, for the spiders sent to surround him and tangle him up in their webs were not the poisonous arachnids of before, but the gleaming white spiders of the icy northern wastes. Larger than their tiny cousins, they came pouring out of the very walls and ceiling to surround him. Their fine threads were as hard as frost-riddled metal, an unbreakable wire that cut through his thorn whip with ease. The cloud of jyaki that the ice spiders collectively exuded killed warmth and life with its icy breath. Kurama found himself battling in earnest as each of the seeds he sprouted wilted and died even before he could summon more of his own energy to fight it. He could not divide his demonic power between the defensive moves to keep the spiders off of him---for their touch was deadly---and the offensive weapons he tried to grow to fight his way past them.

He cursed, ruthlessly realizing that he was truly caught. He could feel the icy air numbing his extremities, and frost dampened his hair as his breath condensed in frigid white clouds. The spiders rung him all around, effectively pinning him, and he did not have enough power in his human form to kill them all. That left him an option he did not care to exert---that of summoning the fox spirit who ever waited for him to let down his guard just enough that he might break free.

The way the spiders baited him---Kurama suddenly _knew_ that was their true goal, to make him summon Youko for some unknown reason that could not be to his benefit. Now knowing their true aim, Kurama refused to give in to them. Ruthlessly ignoring all other concerns for his battling friends and his aching need to use any means necessary to help them, he deliberately thrust his hand into the ice forming along the floor. He poured all of his jyaki into the ground, summoning the shielding spell that would protect him at all costs. He felt his mind slipping, and welcomed the darkness as regret tinged his fading awareness…

ooOOOoo

"How interesting. Rather than summoning the spirit's aid, the fox has put himself in hibernation, protecting himself from the spiders' attack but leaving his friends without his help." Kirin watched with thoughtful detachment from the king's throne-room.

"Not that it would have helped them much, Commander," the short green imp beside him hissed with amused relish.

"True, Mosa," the tall commander admitted. He watched idly as the other two were similarly separated, though the fire apparition fought viciously to remain by the girl's side. His blade, quick as it was, could not keep the hordes of demons at bay, for there were too many of them.

Green fire danced along his katana, splattering those closest to him with sparks that blazed up into mortal torches no matter how desperately the burning youkai tried to douse the flames. The demons, at Kirin's mental command, deliberately piled themselves on top of the short youkai, literally using the weight of their numbers to immobilize him just long enough for the floor to open up beneath them all. They slid out of sight, into one of the oubliettes that riddled the fortress's inner dungeons. The flying, insectoid camera-spies weren't able to follow, thus they were caught by surprise as the whole fortress rocked and shuddered in a muffled explosion.

Hurriedly calling up a view of the dungeon, Kirin cursed the length of time necessary for the living demon who was their sanctum to form the eyeballs along its inner flesh. When at last he gained sight of the apparition, he found the short youkai alone, all traces of his attackers gone. Sinking to his knees, the fire youkai panted, his scarlet eyes hardening as he braced his sword against the revealed dragon tattoo wrapped around his other arm. His third eye glowed with an ominous light, and Kirin frowned.

"Send more demons to distract him. Send enough to keep him busy, but none strong enough to kill or maim. The Lord Mukuro might have need of him later."

"For all his appearance, the fire elemental is formidable. We will sacrifice many of our men to keep him occupied," the imp cautioned.

"Life is cheap," Kirin answered carelessly. "Do as you are told, Mosa, or I will send you in personally to see that my orders are carried out."

"Your will, Commander," the imp hastily replied, summoning up the necessary cannon-fodder.

ooOOOoo

Sango knew, even through her blinding rage and fury, when she stood once more to face the howling darkness alone. Hiei, Kurama---their auras were gone, and she did not know if they were alive or dead. Her anger at that bled into her fury for all the wrongs that evil bastard Naraku had ever done to her, and she knew that no matter what the cost, she would find him and finish it. No longer would that baboon's mocking laughter haunt her nightmares, no longer would those crimson eyes taunt her from the darkness. No longer would she bend beneath the cringing shame and sorrow of having failed everyone she had ever loved.

She refused to be buried alive in this disgusting warren, surrounded by mindless youkai screaming for her blood. Refused to let this be the end of all her struggle, all her heartache, all her bitter rage and tears. Her father, her village, her people, her brother_---'Kohaku!'---_deserved more from her than this wretched battle.

"Come out and face me, you bastard!" she screamed, her sword whirling around her with sickening results. Blood splattered across her face and body, the grisly remains of her countless foes clinging to her arms and legs, making the knives still left to her slick with slime. Her hair was plastered to her head, her ponytail dripping bloody splats across the stone floor beneath her feet as she whipped around to face yet another demon.

She did not care that the evil hanyou might now recognize her, that she might scant her last bit of honor by leaving her concealing cloak behind with Kurama and thus forsaking her promise to Shigure. She could not take the pain and rage and bitterness again. She had caught a fleeting glimpse of what life might be like beyond it, and she couldn't spend another five minutes, let alone another _five-hundred years _with the burden of it on her shoulders. She refused to let Naraku do that to her. Refused to let him get away and keep the never-ending agony screaming inside her skull that she was not good enough, would never be good enough. Weak, pathetic, all her efforts futile, all her pain and sacrifice and the bitter loneliness of untold centuries a waste. She would not let him escape her, not again, _never_ again. It would all end, here and _now_.

She screamed, summoning all that was within her, both human and demonic, and prepared to throw it out, sacrificing herself and all others if she must in order to see it done. She burned with the power, and her heartbeat faltered as her eyes glowed with the crimson tears of a thousand nights spent silently screaming her agony to the uncaring world. Her body rose, her sword dropping unnoticed from her hand as her heart slowed, the pulse of her life-energy mixed up with the fire of her hatred. She could feel the silent screams of the wyrms and youkai who disintegrated at the merest touch of her raging aura. The flickering, wind-lashed energy burned through her clothing, freeing her body as her skin stretched thin around the glowing nova of her determination. Her hair whipped free, rising up behind her like a snaking torch as she summoned every ounce of air inside the tunnel. Her lungs faltered as her summons sucked the very air from them as well, but she was beyond caring. She would blast this bastard right into hell with her!

She felt, distantly, a sudden ripple in the rising energy fields as a disturbing presence split through them to materialize in front of her. The power behind that dimensional split was daunting, the enormous waves of jyaki lashing across her own. She wrestled with that awesome power, clinging to her own and refusing to relinquish it beneath the relentless weight of the other demon's strength. She knew it was not Naraku---the bastard had just sent yet another incarnation to kill her, rather than dirtying his own hands. Something he had done countless times in the past.

With the heightened senses of her building aura, she could faintly feel the evil hanyou hiding somewhere above her by many stories in this ugly maze of a castle. The explosion of her death would take him with her---she was beyond caring who else might go as a result, for it was the darkest rage that now fueled her beyond caring what she did.

The new youkai's power tried to trap her inside a deadening barrier of dense fog, but she refused to be contained. She would end it all, for once and for all!

"Such theatrics," the youkai spoke with biting scorn, its bound hands moving in a wide circle. Sango could feel the swirl of the youkai's powerful jyaki spinning around her, lashing her own winds with its smothering fog. Something was trying to pierce through her skull, invade her mind as Hiei had done when first they met. She tried to elude the terrible grasp of the other youkai's thoughts, and snarled in hot rage, meeting the youkai's bugling blue eye with pure hatred as she shrieked, _**"NO MORE!"**_

And then all was darkness as the world exploded.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I think the warning says it all, pretty much. I should probably remind you who Shoga is. She was featured in the IY anime only, and was Myouga's long-suffering fiancee. An elderly flea demon who could possess others by biting them, she'd chased Myouga for centuries trying to get him to the altar. I had to use her; a woman scorned and all that blather…(smirk) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA, AND INUYASHA EPISODE 65 "FAREWELL, DAYS OF MY YOUTH," ANGST, CHARACTER DEATH, LEMONS (aff(dot)net, mm(dot)org) AND LIMES (LEMONS EDITED OUT ON ff(dot)net TO MATCH THE RATING AS "...")!

WORDS

hiruseki stone - a valuable stone created by the tears a koorime sheds at her child's birth

koorime - ice maiden

taiji-ya - demon slayer

chirurgeon - bone doctor, surgeon

kitsune - fox demon

Jaganshi - one who bears the Jagan, or third eye (Hiei)

Amiko - Forbidden One

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven**_

Sango blinked the grittiness from her dry eyes, wincing as a pure white light intruded. She groaned; her body felt like it had been run over by a herd of elephants. She ached in every joint, and her temples pounded in time to her pulse. Nausea churned up from her stomach, and she quickly rolled over, ignoring the pain and reaching desperately for the bowl or bucket or whatever it was that was thrust into her hands. The sickening convulsions finally subsided, and she let the bucket go to fall limply back on the soft bed, too raw right now to care where she was or how she came to be there.

"Still so young," someone murmured, a hand gently sweeping her sweaty bangs off her cheek. Sango stiffened at the unfamiliar gesture, and opened her eyes. Squinting against the light, she met the amused blue eye of what would have been a fair-faced woman, if scars did not trace a spider's web along one side of her face. Fine hair, the rusty orange of late autumn leaves, was held back by a headband that secured a cloth and curious contraption of glass and metal over half of her face.

"Who are you?" Sango managed to whisper through the dry dust in her throat. "Where am I? What happened---"

"You are foolish," the woman said, her alto voice lightly mocking. Standing up, she crossed to a side table and poured a glass of water, which she brought back over. "But young, so that can be forgiven---for now."

She handed Sango the glass, not bothering to help the exhausted slayer's struggle to sit up. Sango accepted it with shaking fingers, and the woman watched as she gratefully drank. Sango took the time to look around her, and frowned at the unfamiliar surroundings. She was in a room bare of furnishings, save for the bed she lay on, the side-table beside it, a littered desk and an assortment of hideous green statues placed at whim about the large space. The arched recess of the gigantic bed was draped in purple velvet, which matched the fleshy walls beyond. It was like being in the belly of some beast, and made her faintly nauseous. She fought the urge down, carefully sipping the water to help settle her stomach, and turned back to face the woman.

Slight as the woman appeared, a formidable aura surrounded her, one that distinctly reminded Sango of King Raizen and King Yama. She was dressed in a simple, if garish, outfit---a yellow-trimmed purple vest over a white shirt and light green zubon. A long, red sash was simply knotted at her waist, and she wore grey slippers similar to Kurama's, a wrapped arrangement binding her billowy pants to her ankles. She was taller than Sango, but could not be more than five-four. For all her power, she did not look that threatening. But looks were deceiving, and Sango knew this woman was extremely dangerous.

Sango was not stupid, and suddenly realized who this formidable woman must be, if not why she was helping her. "You're the King---Mukuro."

The woman smiled---a faint quirk of her lips, so fleeting it was gone before she answered, "Yes."

"But---why?" Sango lifted the glass, her brows knitting. Then the horrible realization struck her that if _this_ was Mukuro, this woman who hid her sex behind a mask of sutras and bandages, than Naraku was still out there. But she had _felt_ him, knew he was here, somewhere, in the castle. Her knuckles whitened around the glass in her hand and she said sharply, "Where is Naraku?"

"Him?" The demon smiled. "Oh, he's here."

_"Where?" _Sango whipped the blankets back, disregarding her nakedness as she stumbled to her feet. She fell against the side table, knocking the pitcher and glass to smash against the floor, her legs too weak to hold her up.

"Your very hatred blinds you, Sango," the youkai said dispassionately.

"How do you know my name?" Sango spat, loathing how the woman's cool gaze raked over her with scorn. She cried out as the youkai's mind suddenly invaded hers, easily slipping past her weak barrier so that her vision was filled with a hazy fog of purple energies.

_'You cannot hide your thoughts from me, girl.' _The king's growl echoed around her mind like tumultuous thunder. _'You do not have the knowledge or the ability. Do not think my pity and tolerance for your past pain does not have limits. I can kill you, easily and without remorse. I have done so a thousand times before, and to creatures more powerful with sadder tales to tell.'_

"Than why don't you!" Sango snapped back, the force of the woman's thoughtless power burning through every corner of her brain. Her temples pounded and sweat poured down her body as she fought to keep her own identity in the terrible tides of the woman's overwhelming personality.

The woman abruptly broke contact, and Sango sank to her knees with a shudder. The woman mocked her with chilling disdain. "Don't think that I wouldn't have, even a few years ago, without thought or regret. You are lucky, half-breed changeling, that I was given this in tribute a few years ago." The demon fished a small stone from under her shirt, and held the milk-white orb in her palm. Her expression softened as she gazed at the gleaming surface.

"What is that?" Sango demanded hoarsely. "It doesn't look like the Shikon no Tama…"

"It isn't," Mukuro said, her voice amused. "It's a hiruseki stone, one given to me by a demon I conquered a few years ago. I have no need for a petty trinket like the Jewel of Four Souls---I have already harnessed my power and abilities on my own.

"This stone's value lies in that it gives me a peace of spirit I have never known in my many long years. A peace that has broken the bitterness and hatred that has claimed my soul for more centuries than you can know, lost child of the taiji-ya. You fear the darkness that lies in your heart, knowing what it can eventually lead to. I have _lived_ that darkness, even embraced and reveled in it, turning it to my own advantage."

"And nearly forsaking your humanity in the process," Sango whispered in sudden understanding. A chill broke over her, and she was bathed in icy sweat, for she knew how easily it was to slip inside that raging madness.

"Humanity." The demon sneered. "You mortals define everything by your own racially phobic bias." She slid the stone on its chain back inside her shirt and shrugged. "It is no concern of yours, girl. You are lucky that I can now feel pity, even for one such as _you_, and that I find it more amusing to thwart the pleasures of my minion Shigure than to simply kill you and wash my hands of it."

Sango froze at the name of the chirurgeon who had preformed her surgery, and her hand went to her chest, where the spider lay stark against her skin. The thud of her heart was loud in the silence.

"Yes, I know everything, wind-demon, and I can actually give you what it is you so desperately seek."

Sango shivered, for the blue eye fixed on hers was untouched by any emotion whatsoever. She whispered, trying to recapture her scorn but failing miserably because it meant so damn much to her, "What I seek?"

"An end." Mukuro smiled. It was a cruel smile, and Sango felt ice prickling across her skin.

Eying the goose-bumps, Mukuro said distastefully, "Humans are so delicate. There is a shirt and pants on the bed. Dress yourself."

Sango fumbled into the clothes, which were too big for her. They must have been discards of the king's, for the collarless white shirt hung loose around her and the pants slid down her hips. The king was spare in form, but had wider hips, and Sango took the red sash the woman impatiently handed her and threaded it twice through the belt loops so that it wouldn't drag on the ground. She was conscious of her breasts moving freely beneath the white shirt, but didn't think the king's generosity would extend that far.

Mukuro had already shown patience in letting her take her time dressing, for it was only her iron will that kept Sango on her feet at all, exhausted as she was. She felt numb, in both mind and heart, and had to blink, asking, "Excuse me?" when she thought she had misheard the woman.

"I said, you should come and see how I've redecorated the bathroom. I'm quite proud of the décor." The king smiled, the blue eye glittering with anticipation.

Sango stared at the woman incredulously. The demon was insane.

"Come," Mukuro coaxed, waving Sango to follow as she gracefully crossed the wide room to an elongated opening in the wall---like a mouth split sideways. Sango shuddered at the mental image, and followed uncertainly. "You should see the bathmat. I'm particularly fond of it."

The king crossed her arms and leaned companionably against the doorframe, waiting for the taiji-ya's reaction as the interior lights came up.

Sango froze.

There, just below an elegant marble tub that could have been in any expensive home in living world, was a white fur stretched out along the purple flesh of the floor like a bear rug. Except its head was that of a baboon's, and Sango knew---from the faint trace of jyaki that still surrounded it---that _**this**_, somehow, someway, was all that was left of Naraku.

Her heart skipped, and she whispered hoarsely, _"How?"_

Mukuro smiled. "Oh, it's really rather sad. He was killed some five centuries ago by the flea demon who willed the rug to me upon her death from old age. Her name was Shoga, and she said it was fairly easy. He was a rather pathetic hanyou, and nearly half-dead when she stumbled across him. He'd insulted her fiancé, put him in some kind of danger, I guess. His name is---was---Myouga. Shoga never did catch up with the flea."

"But…the Jewel…" Sango faltered.

"Never came with Naraku to Makai. Only the dead body of a human boy, or so Shoga said."

_'Kohaku.'_

Although her mouth opened, no sound emerged. But in her mind, Sango screamed. And kept screaming, as the darkness swamped up around her.

ooOOOoo

"The kitsune still hibernates," the commander said, flicking the screen to the ice-enshrouded cell that the fortress had built around him. The spiders gleamed whitely against the glowing pink barrier surrounding the fox.

"Then use the other one," the king brusquely ordered, the sacred bandages that hid his face rustling as he turned to glance at the second view of the fire elemental. "She has need of him. She is too mentally unstable to be left alone right now, and he is Jaganshi. I have managed to put a temporary block on her, but it will not last."

"If I may dare, why does my lord Mukuro concern himself with such a pathetic creature?" Kirin asked curiously.

"You may not dare, Kirin," the king returned acidly, and the commander bowed in mute apology. "Just see it done."

"As you will, my lord."

ooOOOoo

Hiei dispassionately watched as the blood splattered everywhere from the various youkai he'd killed was slowly absorbed by the fleshy purple walls. He took the opportunity to wipe his sword across the floor, leaving a bloody smear that disappeared as well. He kept his eyes open for the next horde of demons to come attack him, but was unprepared when the wall split open long enough for the slayer to stumble through.

She looked like shit---her hair undone, her strange clothing too big for her. He was by her side in an instant, his eyes raking over the remerging walls for the meaning of it even as he pulled the slayer to him, for she was all but falling over her own feet.

"Where have you been, hanyou?" he demanded harshly, staring down into brown eyes empty of awareness. Her pupils were mere pinpricks, and he could feel the coercion spell dissolving even as he watched. Closing his eyes, he ruthlessly forced Sango's mind open, hoping to tap her recent memories for what had happened. Although she was exhausted, her jyaki nearly spent, it did not warrant this catatonic lethargy.

He flinched at the raw surge of her emotions, and felt the Dragon growl its rebuke across the back of his thoughts. _'Wake up, damn you!' _he snarled right into the mental turmoil of the girl's mind, and was caught by surprise when her curled fist socked him in the gut.

Dropping his sword, Hiei was able to catch her other fist as it swung for his head. He managed to avoid the sharp knee to the groin, and grappled with the slayer as she turned into a wildcat. Lips curled back to expose her blunt teeth, pupils constricted in the dark glitter of her wild gaze, she remained strangely mute even as she blindly fought like a cornered animal. Her contradictory reactions were but the inconsolable rage of one who wanted to be free of a reality too horrific for them to accept on a rational level, and Hiei used his heavier weight in both body and mind to overcome her mindless fury. He knew instantly when he cut through the last barrier she had thrown up around her mind to protect herself when the eerie silence was broken by a choked scream.

There was a lost quality to her screams that made his own anger rise. Damn her stubborn hide, he wasn't going to let her sink into that mindless rage and despair like she was so ready to do---he thrust that thought at her, drilled it right inside her thick skull. She abruptly froze, her spine arching up against him as her body convulsed in a long, shuddering sob. Half-covering her, hands curled over her shoulders, Hiei snarled, "What happened? Damn it, Sango, _tell me!"_

Her eyes opened, and he saw such anguish in the brown depths it took his breath away. Hiei bared his fangs, angry at not knowing what the fuck was going on, and she slowly focused on him. Tears sparkled in her thick lashes as she tonelessly whispered, "He's dead."

"_Who_, damn it!" He shook her sharply, irritated by her lack of vocal emotion when there was such turmoil churning inside.

"Kohaku. Naraku. Everyone," her voice trailed off, and she closed her eyes, another shudder going through her.

He lurched up, hauling her with him so that they knelt facing each other. His hands tightened on her shoulders, and he shook her again. "Don't you dare sink into the darkness, you stupid little fool!"

"Stop it!" she screamed, lashing out at him. He was ready for it, glad actually, to see her anger return, for that other emotion led only to death---when a spirit grew too weary to go on, too lost to despair to care if they slipped away into darkness. Something his selfishly weak mother had done, when both he and his sister had needed her so badly, too young yet to be strong on their own…

"Fight me, hanyou, _make_ me stop!" he growled, his bloody eyes heating with the challenge.

"Damn you, you bastard---" Her fist beat futilely against his upper arm as he continued to grip her shoulders. Tears ran down her face, and she turned her head away in shame, perhaps thinking he would despise her for them.

How little she knew him.

Sliding his hand up from her shoulder so that it curled against her neck, he used his thumb to force her chin back around to face him. She stubbornly closed her eyes, the tears coming in a flood now to seep down her flushed cheeks, and he did the only thing he could think of to distract her.

He kissed her.

Sango's eyes flew open and she made a muffled protest against his lips, but he just used it as an excuse for his tongue to invade her mouth. His eyes half-closed, watching her reaction as he deliberately deepened the kiss. His tongue slid over hers as his thumb nudged her chin up just a little further so that he could bend her head back beneath his. Her startled gasp flushed heat across his veins, and his senses reeled as her breath turned into a whispered half-moan, half-sob as her arms crept up around his neck. Her fingers twined through the short, black hair at his nape, and his mouth moved over hers, nibbling lightly one moment and then delving deep the next. Her responsive whimper was a hot breath he greedily savored, his answering growl as he dragged her against him with his free arm making her gasp as his heat enfolded her.

They broke apart only when the need for air became too incessant, and he couldn't help but press wet kisses and tiny licks along her jaw as she trembled in his arms. He could sense her arousal, his own was burning hot within him, but he also knew this was hardly the time---

She must have read it in his eyes, for her hands came up to cradle his face in her palms. "Please, Hiei---there's been so much pain and death. I can't---I need---_this_. To know I'm _not_ alone. Please---I know it's a lot to ask---I'm a human---"

"Hanyou," he corrected, and kissed her again to shut her up. It didn't matter to him one damn bit why she needed this, he needed it, too, and had never thought he would ever find one willing to come to _him_…

The thought stopped him, and he wrenched his mouth away. She protested, but he growled, hating the admitting of it but knowing she was as virgin as he. He could not be gentle; it was not in his nature. He had always heard a woman needed that her first time, needed someone like Kurama who had the patience and skill to make their first time pleasant rather than painful. She would hardly welcome the inept fumbling of a lust-crazed---

Somehow, she plucked the thought right from his mind, and he wondered at how deeply she affected him, that his barriers were down so much that she could. The Jagan glowed and her fingers went up to thread through the fine hairs surrounding it. He shuddered at the simple caress. It was her turn to trail her fingers down his cheek, take his hard chin in hand and kiss him as he had her, pressing her claim and willingness with words not of sound but of pure desire and haunting need.

He gave in, then, to what he wanted…

He combed her long hair back over her shoulder, his fingers tangling in the thick length as she buried her hands at the nape of his neck, their lips never leaving each other's for long as they traded heavy breaths and wondering gasps at the incredibly new sensations.

Her fingers dropped to bunch on his coat, and it suddenly felt too constricting, too heavy and bulky and completely unnecessary. Their fingers tangled as each tried to slip the buttons free. She blushed and laughed a little, and his mouth quirked as his red eyes stared into hers. There was hunger there, and heat, and a measuring, as if she wondered if he wanted this as much as she. He answered her with another kiss, using his mouth to distract her as his hands shoved his coat open and dragged it over his broad shoulders.

Her hands were suddenly there, helping to push his coat down his arms so that it spilled behind him. His left wrist caught, and he jerked the cuff free and pushed the coat impatiently away. She sat back, avoiding his mouth when it sought to capture hers again, and looked at him. Her fingers trailed lightly up his bare arm and he looked down at her, wondering what she was thinking.

"You're so strong," she whispered, her fingers tracing the thick muscle, which rippled and tightened under her touch. She could not know how the light caress affected him, and he willed her to look up, to meet his heated gaze, but she bent her head and laid a soft kiss against his right shoulder. He shivered at the contact of her warm lips against his hot skin, and shook twice as hard when her tongue reached out to lick the same spot.

"Hn." He bared his teeth, a wicked gleam in his eyes, and abruptly toppled her over to lie flat on her back as he exerted that strength to take her by surprise…

He stilled, to keep the heat from surging up to the point where he lost all control and burned her with it. Deliberately sliding his hips down, he settled his weight carefully, afraid to damage her. For all her toughness, she was so slender beneath him, so seemingly small and fragile under his wide bulk. He trailed a finger down her cheek, almost rocked anew by the revelation that she was welcoming this, and with _him_, the Amiko, the one forbidden and incapable of ever knowing love or, at least, the act of love.

"Hiei?" she queried softly, and he only shook his head, his eyes drawn to her breasts, which moved freely beneath the thin white fabric of her blouse…

Leaning his weight on his bent left arm, his right hand hovered indecisively over the gaping neckline, his eyes seeking permission from hers.

But her gaze had dropped to the dragon tattooed along his arm, her fingers coming up to turn the back of his hand over in hers so she could see it better. His brow rose as her thumb lightly traced the dragon's head. When she brought his wrist up to her lips, he closed his eyes and shuddered. A dark light fizzled along the tattoo etched into his arm, and he could feel the Dragon rumbling a contented growl across the back of his shaken thoughts. He was distracted when he felt her press his palm flat against her chest.

"I---" she faltered, and he opened his eyes to stare down at her sudden nervousness. "I had a heart transplant," she said. "That was how, I---"

"Doesn't matter," he answered gruffly.

"The scar---"

"Means nothing." He cut her off by sliding the first two buttons free. She was stiff, waiting for his reaction, and he studied the purple shadow of a spider centered just above the curve of her breasts. But he was more interested in the alluring valley revealed between them…

He kissed her long and hard, loving the feel as she pressed herself against him. His palms slid over her shoulders and down her back, feeling how her spine arched beneath his gliding touch. The rough scar he had felt before was only an irregularity in the smooth expanse of skin---he was more interested in reaching the curve of her buttocks, measuring the narrowness of her waist against his broad palms. His hands could almost encircle her, and his thumbs made lazy circles against her flat abdomen as their mouths met again and again, their ardor rising as the inevitability of it rose in nervous anticipation…

ooOOOoo

His weight was both smothering and comforting as he lay like one dead. The heavy pounding of his heart and the harsh breaths slowly calming into the crook of her neck and right shoulder made Sango smile lazily as she threaded her fingers through the sweaty tangle of his thick bangs…

A shudder ran through him, and Sango searched the crimson eyes that finally opened to stare up into hers. There was such an unguarded expression in the red depths she blinked, and then he was kissing her, his mouth telling her what he could not…

He immediately curled himself beside her, his strong arms hauling her tight to his side as he lay his damp forehead against hers with a sigh. His voice was the faintest whisper as he said, "Did I hurt you?"

…She felt lazy and lethargic, a strange contentment settling over her as his arms tightened around her as she mutely shook her head. He sought her lips again, a soft brush of his mouth on hers, and she laid her head against his sweaty shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling safe for the first time in so very, very long…

ooOOOoo

He eventually slept, too, as her breaths softened into an even rhythm against his shoulder and he relaxed enough to do so. The wonder of the gift she had given him was strangely humbling. The experience was so new and mind-blowing he could not really grasp it, even though his body was already stirring with the desire to experience it again. But he knew she was exhausted and probably sore, even if there had been no hymen for him to break. Having her nestled so close against him, her heat enfolding his even as his arms enfolded hers, that was…a new experience in itself, and one he savored even as his eyes closed and he relaxed into it.

He was abruptly awakened by a hitch in her breath, one she tried to suppress. He blinked as she turned into him, her head burying against his chest as she shook with silent sobs. She made no sound but for the harsh gasps muffled against his skin, which was dampening beneath the tears she refused to let him see. He didn't know what to do, had no idea if he was supposed to force her head up so he could wipe them away or let her keep hiding her silent pain against him. So he did nothing, awkward as that was, and just kept his arms around her. It seemed to be enough, for eventually she stopped shaking, her harsh breaths slowing. He moved restlessly, his hand sweeping over her shoulder and down her back, and she shuddered under the touch. She finally lifted her head up, and the pain was there, in the dark depths of her eyes, almost as new as when she first woke from her shock. He stared at her, still not knowing what to do for it, for although he might know that pain, he had always used it, controlled it, not let it use and control him.

And maybe that was what she was doing when she slipped a hand up between them to cradle his cheek and draw his mouth down to hers, kissing him with a silent desperation almost as terrible in its way as her tears. He drew back, not liking the thought, and she drew him down again, shifting so that he was now pressed full length upon her. The desire was suddenly back, blazing inside him, craving this woman who could so easily manipulate him into feeling it. That thought was troubling, too, but he thrust it away to embrace her now, his hunger growing with hers. They made sweet love, slow love, more of a rocking of his hips into hers, for he didn't want to hurt her so soon after that first time. There was a silent desperation to it, one that felt almost guilty as he took what she gave, and gave in to what she needed.

What he needed, too, if he were honest with himself. That realization made him wary as he nestled her close in the aching aftermath. He had managed to pull her with him when he surrendered to that final passion, using his fingers on the bundle of nerves at the apex of her womanhood to draw her up as his crisis neared. The second time was even more intense and humbling than the first, and it was he who trembled and was held in her strong arms afterwards.

They nestled together, too exhausted even for sleep, and that was when she spoke, telling him in broken sentences of what had happened to send her over the edge. Her vengeance, her purpose, which had kept her going for so long, was dead along with her brother and the evil hanyou who had plagued her. Her whole life's purpose, the reason that had fueled and driven her, was---gone. Just like that. All gone. And the emptiness that yawned before her---the guilt and bitterness and the simple hoarse demand she made of _"Why?" _was one he could not answer.

So he answered instead with things he had never spoken of to anyone, had never cared to, actually, for there had never been one who might understand. He spoke of the dark things he hid deep inside his heart. The bitterness he felt for a woman who had not been strong enough to find some way to smuggle him and his sister away from the cold women who despised him just for his birth and had flung him over the island to die. A woman who he later learned had committed suicide in her depression over it. He admitted in a harsh whisper how he loathed his mother for that, that she was so weak and selfish as to leave his poor sister, still so young, as alone in the world as he. He did not add how angry it made him that her depression was so much stronger than her love for either of them. He spoke of his own thwarted vengeance---how he had vowed to kill every last bitch in that icy village in the sky, and spent years tracking it down, only to find those women dead already. So fearful of life and emotion, they had become true apparitions, ghosts going through the motions of life, their hearts as cold and frozen as their isolated village.

He ignored the uneasy feeling inside him that maybe, just maybe, he had become a little bit like them, scoffing at the very idea even as it occurred to him. Instead, he found himself turning to Sango in silent hunger, needing somehow the same reassurance she had sought from him, and they made love for the third time. A little more roughly, a little more demanding, a little more desperate to grab onto something that was here and now, and not then. He used her, and was disgusted with himself for it, even though she had held as tight to him as he had to her. She cried out, her passion peaking as he sought to bury his very soul inside her soft body and let everything just go, he knew not where, just _go_. When she finally slept, exhausted, in the curve of his arm, he laid awake for a long time, his mind churning with too much emotion, too much hunger and too much turmoil.

She was too tired to even stir when he slipped from her side, and stood silently watching her for a long, long time, before finally, decisively, turning around and leaving. The wall opened before him, as he knew it would, and there was a King waiting, as he knew there would be, too, having made contact and a demand. The single blue eye glittered, measuring the resolution in his bloody gaze, and he sneered.

"Welcome, Hiei. I think we have much in common, you and I." The King swept an expansive hand for him to precede, and Hiei did not look back as the fleshy walls closed behind him.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you for staying with this story. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm wrapping it around the Three Kings saga, though twisting it just a tad, smirk. Though don't expect everything to pan out as you think it will. Hiei is not out of the running yet. (MWAHAHAHAA) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

WORDS

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight**_

He was gone.

Just like everyone else.

Wrapping her arms around her knees, Sango sat with her back against the wall furthest from where she'd awoken, dressed and alone, as if nothing had happened between them. Except for the soreness of her body, the four white belts that lay torn in half scattered around, and the aching sensation in her heart, she might have dreamt it. But this she could not dream.

She was too tired for tears. Laying her head on her knees, she waited.

ooOOOoo

He was conscious on a deeper level when the spiders finally withdrew. The icy breath of their numerous positions around the defensive barrier he'd erected disappeared, and the cold retreated. Ever cautious, he waited, in case it was a trick. But when nothing occurred, he finally let himself unwind from the curl of hibernation, fluidly rising to his feet with a rose in hand to greet those who had just stepped through the fleshy wall to greet him.

"Hiei?" Kurama asked, startled by the bandaged-wrapped figure who stepped through the opening after the red-eyed apparition. What was the fire demon doing with Lord Mukuro, of all people? He tried to ask that question telepathically, but the apparition's mind was closed to him.

Eyes narrowing, Kurama kept the rose ready in his hand. Never one to waste words, he waited for them to explain themselves.

"It is unfortunate we must meet under such…difficult…circumstances, Kurama." The king swept him an ironic bow. The bulging blue eye glittered. "Though I must admit, fox, to underestimating you. As many have, I understand, to their detriment."

Kurama did not have time to play word-games with the demon king. Staring at Hiei, he demanded, "Where's Sango?"

"Oh, she is well enough," Mukuro smoothly interceded. "Hiei has seen to that, haven't you, Hiei?"

Kurama stiffened at the acidity in the king's voice, but Hiei did not react beyond a flick of his smoldering red eyes in the king's direction before calmly crossing his arms. "I suggest you leave us alone so I can explain."

Mukuro stared at the shorter apparition for a long moment. "Very well," he finally conceded, "though do not tarry. It would be better to begin your training right away, so as not to waste any more time."

'_Training?' _Kurama's eyes cut to the fire demon, but he remained impassive.

"Oh! There is just one more thing." Mukuro paused, the bandaged-wrapped head turning back to Kurama. "My men…intercepted…a message for you, Kurama. From Lord Yomi."

Kurama jerked. "Did you say---Yomi?"

"Why, yes. You must know of him. He has been a thorn in my side for a while now." The blue eye gleamed with vicious amusement. "_Quite_ the thorny problem, our Yomi."

The king waved a dismissive hand. "But that is neither here nor there, and our Hiei grows impatient. You really must learn to control your emotions better, Hiei. Passion is good in its place, but it must be tempered by prudence. Is that not true, Kurama?"

Kurama revealed none of his disgust for the king's deliberate baiting. As formidable as rumor had painted him, the king was also living up to his reputation for petty cruelty. He was like a little bully, the kind who delighted in pulling the wings off flies just to watch them struggle and die.

The king shrugged. Turning to the parted mouth in the fleshy wall, he waved his bound hands back towards Kurama. A small, glowing globe appeared, floating through the air to stop before the kitsune.

"A Spirit of Words," the king said unnecessarily. "Consider it my parting gift to you, Kurama." He did not take it. With an ironic bow, the king left. The mouth sealed behind him, leaving the two demons alone.

"It's not rigged," Hiei growled, deliberately nicking the floating ball out of the air and holding it out with disdain. "If that's what you think."

"I don't know what to think," Kurama replied, more sharply than he'd intended. Hiei only looked at him. With a sigh, Kurama dissolved the rose in his hand. "Care to explain, now that we are alone?" Though they both knew they weren't. The very room they stood in was a spy in itself.

Hiei looked down at the small globe in his hand. His thumb traced over the milky surface. "Hn. Old Bandage Face has invited me to stay and train with him. I've decided to take him up on the offer."

"Train with him," Kurama repeated with dry disbelief.

Hiei was not one to shrug. His red eyes rose, meeting the fox's squarely. "Yes."

Folding his arms, Kurama leaned back against the wall with a deceptively careless pose. "And if I asked why, would you even answer?"

"Hn." The corner of Hiei's mouth twitched. "You know me too well, fox."

"Not well enough, it seems." Kurama swept his wayward bangs back with a tired gesture.

"Turn about is fair play." Hiei's red eyes bored into his.

"Touché," Kurama conceded. They stared at each other for a long moment, a thousand things left unsaid between them but each silently understanding the other as they always could.

It was Hiei, actually, who turned away. He stared at the wall, though Kurama wondered if he even saw it. "She's not all right."

"Who?" Kurama demanded, though he knew. _'Sango.'_

"Her brother's dead." Hiei's voice was flat, but he still wouldn't look at Kurama, which said the fire demon wasn't as unaffected as he tried to pretend.

Kurama sucked in his breath. "And Naraku?"

"Dead as well."

"Was it Sango?"

"No." Hiei's hand tightened on the small globe.

"Then how…?" Kurama was getting impatient with the fire demon's monosyllables. Dragging information out of Hiei was always a challenge, but he didn't have patience right now for the touchy demon's intransigence.

"The spider-baboon was killed by a flea demon just after he arrived in Makai, or so that strange mummy, Murkuro, said." Hiei finally turned his head and met Kurama's troubled gaze. "The boy was already dead."

"What about the Jewel?"

"Hn. The king doesn't know, and could care less. The Jewel doesn't interest him." Hiei's gaze slid past his, his expression growing distant as he abruptly said, "She'll need your help."

Kurama raised a single brow at the pointed singularity of that flat statement. So, the fire demon meant what he said and would stay here and train, and it had some reason to do with Sango. Not that Hiei would explain why, but Kurama couldn't resist challenging, "And not yours?"

Hiei's eyes snapped back to his, anger stiffening his shoulders and adding a hot glower to his scarlet gaze. "I cannot help her."

"Really." Kurama's green eyes narrowed.

"Don't test me, fox. There are limits, even for _you_," Hiei growled, hand creeping to his sword.

Kurama refused to be baited. He refused to let his acute disappointment in the apparition show, accepting that Hiei had reached that limit. Folding his arms, he said indifferently, "Very well. But what of Sango? Does the king wish to keep her as he wishes to keep you?"

"No one _keeps_ me, fox." Hiei's eyes bled.

"So I noticed." Kurama could not help the bitterness in his voice, and struggled to reign in his disappointment. The flash of emotion actually caused Hiei to let go of his sword, the angry glow dying from the scarlet eyes as he turned back to fully face the fox.

"Hn." His gaze dropped to the globe in his hand, and he held it out. "Here. This is yours. I can take a guess at what it contains."

Kurama raised a wry brow but gingerly took the small white orb. It felt heavier than it should in his palm. Memories made him frown. They weren't his memories, but Youko's---which hardly mattered, since that meant they were his, too. Especially as he would be the one to deal with the consequences of the former thief's actions.

He felt the weight of Hiei's sharp regard, and with his typical shrewd discernment, the demon demanded, "And what is Yomi to you, fox?"

Kurama frowned. "One might say an old friend."

"Hn."

Kurama was grateful Hiei let it go at that, guiltily aware that he did not want the shorter demon to know the sordid details. Or Mukuro, for that matter. Perhaps Hiei understood that, for Kurama felt him slip inside his mind, as he had not permitted before.

_'You're off to Yomi's then.'_

Kurama started, but slowly nodded. _'If you're right, and this Spirit of Words contains an invitation from the third King to join him---as Raizen has Yusuke and Mukuro has you---than yes, I will take him up on it.'_

Hiei sneered. _'Who says I have 'joined' Mukuro?'_

Kurama straightened, his green eyes trying to puzzle out the fire apparition's unreadable expression. _'So, you understand the deeper significance of each King asking for one of_ us _to serve them.'_

"Hn." Hiei's smile was smug. _'How much longer will Raizen live? A year at most? It would take a particular Kuwabara kind of stupidity not to see what will happen then.'_

_'War.' _Kurama stared at the faintly glowing globe in his hand. It brightened, as if it somehow knew he was looking at it. His wandering thoughts bled through the link between them. _'One that could not only rip Makai apart, but bleed over into the human world…'_

Hiei's red eyes only flicked to his. He did not bother voicing his challenge that Kurama had people in human world that he cared too much about.

Stung by the demon's silent criticism, Kurama challenged, _'And what about Yukina? She now lives in Human World, too. Are you saying you wouldn't do anything you could to protect_ _her?'_

Hiei looked away. "She no longer needs _my _protection,fox. She has---others."

Yes, she had others. Not only the powerful priestess, Genkai, but the stalwart Kuwabara, who loved her with that self-sacrificing type of love that would do anything to make the other happy, even leave them. Such unselfishness was both rare and precious, and completely baffling to the fox. To sacrifice one's own desires, even one's own self, for another---Kurama did not know if that was something he was even capable of. Or ever wanted; for that put too much control in another's hands who might not feel the same or have your best interests at heart. That was a loss of personal control he could not contemplate. He had once considered making that ultimate sacrifice---ending his own life to save his mother's---but he wondered if he was even capable of that now, with Youko's heightened influence. Ever since the battle with Sensui, he had become guiltily aware that the fox's spirit was wrapped even more tightly to his.

Still, the fact that Hiei was willing to let his sister go, and in the wake of the terrible news of how Sango had lost her brother----that spoke of a widening schism within the fire apparition between himself and others. There were few Hiei had ever cared (or let himself care) about, and the fact that the most important one---his sister---was now not a concern was deeply troubling.

Knowing instinctively that the apparition would not welcome his intrusion on that front, Kurama abruptly said aloud, "You could certainly benefit from the training Mukuro has offered."

"Oh, I intend to."The glitter in Hiei's eyes and the smug twist of his lips made Kurama shiver, for it was reminiscent of the cruel, power-hungry demon he had first met. He wondered, suddenly, who he had to fear more---Hiei, or Mukuro.

"Remember there are others to consider," he reminded sharply, and a thin brow lifted.

"When I have _ever_ troubled myself about others, fox? You really don't know me that well, do you?"

"Heh." Kurama suddenly smiled. That act had never fooled anyone.

Hiei shot him an angry look. So be it.

"As you will, then," he said aloud, adding silently, _'Just remember there is far more at stake than just us in all this, Hiei.'_

"Hn." The demon sneered. _'As if you don't have your own selfish reasons, Kurama, for joining that scheming upstart, Yomi. You would do well to remember your own advice, when the time comes.'_

Chilled by the demon's insight, Kurama wondered warily how much he might have guessed of the _real_ reasons he would go to Yomi. The history that lay between him and the king---and how strange was that, that the brash demon and close friend Youko had once put a hit on was now strong enough to challenge powerful demons like Raizen and Mukuro---might help him decide, for once and for all, who would win---himself, or Youko.

But that was not Hiei's concern. The fire apparition wasn't the only one who could feel the schism widening between himself and others. Even Yusuke had his own selfish reasons for training under Raizen---he wanted to get strong enough to kick his pseudo-father's ass. The irony of their self-interest was not lost on Kurama, and he smiled thinly, nodding once to acknowledge how Hiei had once again hit the nail on the head.

Kurama abruptly straightened, resuming his cool demeanor as he said with distant courtesy, "It would be best if we leave right away. The king seems anxious to begin your training, and as he so adroitly pointed out, time is wasting."

"Hn." Hiei's lip curled. His eyes raked over Kurama, but he did not bother to comment.

"Perhaps you could summon one of Mukuro's minions to escort me to the taiji-ya?" Kurama politely inquired, knowing that they would be allowed to depart the castle, and kingdom, without contention. The king had already publicly proclaimed him a guest, and Mukuro was, if nothing else, a rabid traditionalist. The sanctity of a guest in one's home, even among the most bitter of enemies, was sacred.

"Hn." Hiei raised one hand in farewell or perhaps, to signal the living fortress that he was ready to go. A mouth obligingly formed along the fleshy wall. Hiei paused just before leaving, his back to the red-haired fox. The smallest crack appeared in the apparition's armor when he growled low, "Take care of her, fox."

Kurama solemnly nodded, using the gesture as both agreement and farewell. He wondered at the aching feeling inside his chest as the apparition abruptly vanished, but deliberately pushed it aside when a tall demon in plated armor bowed to him.

"Youko Kurama? I am Commander Kirin. The king has done me the honor of escorting you and the changeling to the edge of our territory with a small band of our finest men. For your own safety, of course."

"Of course," Kurama replied dryly. The "honor guard" was not unexpected, but it was rather inconvenient. It couldn't be helped, though, and he was now anxious to be on his way. "Please tell your King I am flattered by his thoughtfulness, and as I am anxious to get going, would you please show me to the taiji-ya?"

"The King perceived your desire, Kurama-san, and my men are waiting outside the front gates for us. If you will follow me." The Commander bowed with ironic diffidence, and Kurama nodded once in return. The courtesies must always be observed.

Kurama followed the armored demon through shadowed corridors possibly kept dim to keep the terrible clash of colors favored by Mukuro's court from hurting one's eyes. The commander's light grey-green armor was complimented by ragged ankle-length skirts of eye-popping scarlet and yellow. Even with the bad choice in fashion, Mukuro's second-in-command presented a formidable sight, to both the kitsune's natural and astral senses. Definitely an S-class demon, and by training his body the hard, slow way---through strenuous, physical means, and not the chemical or biological enhancement of simply dining on ningen.Ironic that the flesh-eating subjects of the human-sympathizing Raizen did not adhere to the same philosophy as this Demonic Arts Guru, when it was Kirin's king who did not care if youkai ate humans or not.

Kirin abruptly stopped, and the wall parted before him without any signal that Kurama could detect. The iron-colored demon gestured him to precede, and Kurama ducked inside, his eyes immediately drawn to the huddled figure sitting against the far wall. Her head rose, and his breath caught at the haunted brown eyes that slowly focused on him.

"Sango," was all he said, going and kneeling beside her. He lightly cupped her cheek, pity darkening his green eyes as she held herself stiff for a moment, and then crumpled into his waiting arms. She sobbed, once, against his shoulder, and then stopped, refusing to shed any more. Kurama's nostrils expanded, taking in the mingled scent of sex and tears and a certain fire demon that lingered across her skin, and his eyes closed. '_Damn_.'

Tenderly gathering the slayer's slight body into his arms, he stood back up. She did not resist, just turned her head into the red curtain of his hair as one hand lay flat against his chest, just over his thudding heart. Silky black tresses spilled over his arm, and he tightened his hold in tacit understanding as she went limp, perhaps still too much in shock to recover her normal barriers. Frowning, Kurama looked over the girl's dark head at the waiting demon.

"Let's go, Commander."

"Of course." The youkai paused, and showing surprising compassion, asked delicately, "Does your companion need a few minutes?"

"She'll do," Kurama replied, and the commander, taking him at his word, nodded sharply. Following the demon's long stride, Kurama was more than ready to shake the dirt from this place off his shoes.

ooOOOoo

Perhaps it was the shock of having her whole life turned inside out, but Sango could not react to anything past a certain numb sense of unreality. Nothing could touch her, not really, and it felt like she was just going through the motions because there was nothing else she _could_ do. Nothing affected her, not Kurama's silent worry, or the other demon's---the commander's---polite concern. She answered them distantly, saying she was fine, or pointedly changing the subject. They had to be content with that, for she refused to offer more.

The trip from Mukuro's fortress was even more surreal than the initial, week-long journey she'd shared with Hiei and Kurama. Following no road that she could discern, they made a relatively straight line for the border the king shared with the third ruler of Makai, who was nothing past a name to Sango. She couldn't summon the energy to ask why they were going there instead of returning to Raizen's territory. For once in her life, she was content to let someone else make decisions, too lost inside her numb world to truly care. What was the point? One place was much like another, when all was said and done. With both Naraku and her brother dead, nothing really mattered anymore.

Their escort was made up of four of Mukuro's Elite Guards. Being in such close proximity to S-class demons would normally have her on edge, but Sango was too numb to care about that, either. Her sword and knives had been destroyed in that last blast, when she'd summoned all of her energy to destroy the fortress and what she'd thought was Naraku into oblivion, as had her clothing. The king's---Sango could not call her a "queen," even if she had been at liberty to do so---charity ill-fit her, but it was all she had. Kurama, at least, had returned her cloak, and the demon-commander, Kirin, had stopped in a small village and bought sandals for her, realizing she now had none of her own.

They were well provisioned, and spent most nights at an inn, though those grew sparse once they reached the contested wilderness between Yomi and Mukuro's lands. Sango did not protest when Kurama shared her room, kindly ordering a second pallet be made on the floor at the foot of her futon.He must have won some money off Mukuro's guards, or perhaps, Kirin had given him some, for he returned one day after they stopped for a midday meal at the last army outpost with clothing to replace their ragged garments. Clad in white slacks, a buttoned-down navy shirt and brown leather jacket, he looked even more handsome than he had in his light green robe.

Sadly, there had been nothing small enough to properly fit her, for the kitsune had had to trade with the men stationed at the garrison. Sango had to make do with a pair of rolled-up jeans and a men's T-shirt that at least fit her better than Mukuro's blouse, though she switched between the two, grateful to have more than one shirt to wear. Better, anyway, was the small dagger Kurama brought her. It wasn't much, too small and decorative to be practical, but it felt good to have the familiar weight of a weapon at her hip.

That was the first time she had smiled since learning the truth about Naraku and her brother, and it felt odd. Kurama had returned it, his green eyes warming as his hand gently cupped her upturned cheek, his thumb lightly grazing along her jaw. The look in his dark eyes had made Sango's heart twist. Wary of too much emotion---which threatened the brittle shield she had built over the pain---Sango had quickly retreated with a hasty excuse.

Ashamed by her reaction to what had only been generosity on his part, Sango awkwardly tried to apologize, but Kurama only changed the subject, as he was so good at doing. He was courteous, and kind, as they all were, even those guards of Mukuro's who had sneered before in typical demon fashion at the two "half-breeds" but had slowly started aping their commander's respectful courtesy. It bothered her, that they felt the need to treat her so…delicately, as if she were something that might shatter. True, her whole world was now in ruins, but she…well, she didn't know what she was, she just knew (and was ashamed of that, too) that she was stronger than _that_. She was just too---numb---right now to deal with it. She would, though. Eventually.

But for now it was enough to put one foot in front of the other as she listened to the men murmur around her, Kirin and Kurama having struck up an odd acquaintance. While not exactly friendly, they treated each other with a mutual respect and grave regard. The nearly seven-foot demon did not go out of his way to speak to Sango specifically, but was always polite, inquiring if she needed anything and if she were well. She deflected his questions, though they were just general courtesy, and he let it go at that.

She saw him once with his helm off. Expecting some hideous deformity or scar, she was surprised by the handsome, if definitely shark-like, features. Doubled-rows of jagged teeth looked uncomfortable to brush, but he somehow managed the task with brisk efficiency. Combing his hands through his short, blue-grey hair, he looked up and met her gaze with a polite nod. She turned away with a blush, feeling intrusive, but he was as courteous the next time he spoke to her as before.

It took them five days to cross the lands between Mukuro's fortress and the border, which changed from year to year as Yomi's armies sporadically clashed with Mukuro's. The engagements were small but bloody, yet diplomatically ignored as both kings continually tested the other for any weakness along their disputed line. There was nothing to mark the border as such, no guard towers or outposts, as it was too costly to keep building what one enemy or the other would just destroy.

Few demons lived in the bloody plains and forests, which stretched across flat land broken by odd mesas of stark brown rock rising like square buildings here and there. The sky stretched from one horizon to the other, continually wracked by restless lightning from swollen purple clouds that would burst into hard rain for a few minutes and then stop as suddenly as they came. The humid heat was stifling, and Sango was grateful when they finally wandered into the forests, which at least were cooler than the open grasslands.

It was on the fifth day, near sunset, and they were close enough to the border that the guards were alert and wary, searching with both physical senses---sight, sound, scent---and astral---a build-up of jyaki, a ripple in the energy fields---for the ambush they all half-expected. Five S-class demons and two hanyou making straight for the border was not something Yomi's carefully trained troops would miss. They had felt eyes on them, but Kurama had reassured Kirin that there was nothing to worry about. Yomi would not attack, because he was expecting the fox. Sango's head had come up that, her drawn up hood slipping back a few inches, and she would have asked how that was possible, but just at that moment, they _were_ attacked.

But not by the ones they expected, but by one of the clans semi-loyal to Mukuro who made the borderlands their home. They were a rough crew, and strong---they had to be, to make their home _here_--- and their leader was the last person Sango had ever thought to see again.

Her heart froze in her mouth as he thudded to the ground right in the middle of them, his men emerging from the surrounding trees with shouts and snarls as their four-legged brothers howled and yipped in the excitement. Rolling their lips back to show their sharp teeth and glistening jaws, they growled menacingly.

Hands on his hips, the pack leader stood with a triumphant smirk as Kirin and his men reacted by pulling their weapons. The black-haired leader was not fazed in the least by the ominous aura the S-class demons exuded.

"Ha! You might as well give up. We have you completely surrounded." The wolf youkai's fangs flashed as his light blue eyes glittered.

_"Kouga?" _she whispered in disbelief. Sango would have stood there paralyzed in shock if Kurama hadn't grabbed her up under one arm. His thorn whip swung in a spiraling arc, clearing the area of snapping wolves as his mighty leap backwards landed them both in the nearest tree able to hold their weight. Taken by surprise, Sango could only sag against him. She tried to push her hood up, which had slipped down over her eyes and chin in the force of the kitsune's leap.

"Kurama---" she said, and then paused, hand to her hood.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," the fox distractedly murmured, his eyes narrowed on the circling wolves as Kirin growled at the black-haired leader.

The words were hauntingly familiar---she had heard them often enough between a certain dog demon and the miko he loved. Two people she knew were alive, and yet could never see, for her promise to Shigure prevented her from ever letting them know. And the price, as terrible as it had seemed at the time, was even more so now. For not only had she lost the one thing that had sustained her all those lonely years, but she abruptly realized she had made that horrible promise for a reason that had never truly existed. For Naraku and Kohaku had been dead even before the surgeon had agreed to do the heart transplant.

And now, the very pointlessness of all her pain and heartache, bitterness and agony and stubborn determination was suddenly standing down there in the clearing wearing the same cocky smirk he'd always worn. Kouga of the Wolf Demon Tribe, still the same and yet now a symbol for everything she had lost and sacrificed. And more than that, a symbol of what she could never have---her friends, her family, everything she had striven for these last five hundred years, and _all completely in vain. _

Her honor, cold companion as it was, was all she had left. She could not sacrifice that, too.

Kirin must have revealed who he was, for Kouga called to his men. "Hey, you mutts, leave off! They're allies, damn it. Though I almost got you, Commander. Thought I was going to get the chance to kick some so-called civilized Gandaeran ass, Commander!"

Gods, his brash boasts hurt. They were so achingly familiar.

"Kurama." Her whisper was hoarse, she could not keep the pain from roughening it, and hated herself for the betrayal even as the tears started gathering in her eyes. "Kurama, I need to leave. I need to get out of here. Now."

"Sango?" Kurama's arm tightened around her, but she looked away, trying to hide her face from both him and Kouga below.

"Kurama, _please_." She felt him stiffen at the word she used to seldom, and wanted to laugh and cringe at the neediness of it even as the tears started spilling down her cheeks. "I-I can't stay here. Kouga---he knows me. He can't see me. My promise, Kurama, I _promised---"_

Whatever it was about her urgent plea that made the fox react, Sango could only be grateful that he did. Dissolving his Rose Whip, the kitsune gathered her up like he had before, at the fortress. Holding her tight in his arms, he paused only to stare down at the commander, perhaps telling him telepathically that they were leaving and going on ahead alone.

"Hey!" Kouga demanded from below. "Where are _you_ going?"

A sob broke from her pressed lips, and Sango buried her head into the fox's shoulder as she hung on. Kurama leapt free without a backwards glance, and they soon left the demons behind with the ashes of her broken heart.

.

:


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Again, I have wrapped this story around the Three Kings' saga, and it will be disjointed, as I do not want to rewrite what the original anime told so well. I will try and explain some of the scenes, but if they seem off or you need more of an explanation, please feel free to email me through fanfictionnet. I can assure you that I have the next five chapters already written, and they should be up soon, once I've edited and banged my head over them a few times. (Oh, the joys of self-question among the nail-nibbled doubt of an opened thesaurus---LOL!) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Twenty-Nine **_

He had spent five days in this hell of blood and fury and unending battle. The demons attacked him constantly, their numbers slowly increasing as he slaughtered each band sent against him. It was a mindless, bloody, constant slaughter, and his world narrowed to the next slash, the next jab, the next raking swipe of his sharpened talons across demon flesh. The dragon tattooed on his arm pulsed with a purple-black light, energized by the seething rage that suffused him, growling across the back of his thoughts in exultation as he vanquished each foe set upon him.

He was allowed few times to rest and recover his strength between bloody bouts that slowly rose in number. First ten, then twenty, then thirty, and now fifty were sent against him, and he killed them all, down to the last raging beast. A-class, all of them, and some fought dirty and some fought hard, and some sunk a few good hits that let his blood splash across the fleshy floor, where it disappeared as the spider-beetle hungrily absorbed it. But he always prevailed in the end, as he would always prevail, so long as he pushed all other thoughts aside and concentrated on simply staying alive.

But the thoughts intruded, and the weakening emotions that came with them. Passion. Hunger. Longing. Anger, and surprisingly, regret. _Her_ face distracted him at the most inconvenient moments, and he cursed the damn taiji-ya, and then cursed himself for letting it bother him so fucking much.

The screams of rage and challenge rose around him, and tightening his grip on his bloody katana, he raised it again to fight. Training, the King called it. "Hn."

ooOOOoo

She had told him everything. Or everything she could between wracking sobs as he simply held her, murmuring words he couldn't recall as she wept for all she had lost. The brittle walls she had hastily erected around the pain to protect herself in numb avoidance had come tumbling down when she saw the wolf demon, Kouga. A demon she had known in the Sengoku Jidai, and one who could not know her now, for a hasty promise made for the cruel amusement of a malicious demon Kurama had only heard rumor of. Shigure, Surgeon of the Damned. Damned he was, to have extracted such a terrible oath for the demon heart he had implanted inside the slayer's chest. If ever he saw the bastard, Kurama knew with cold clarity that he would kill him.

The awfulness of her pointless promise sat heavily on his mind, for he knew Sango was too honorable to go against a promise, even one made so hastily. Although Kurama would have considered the vow given under duress, and grayed the areas of her black-and-white principles, Hiei was like that, too, and the fox understood how much their honor meant to both of them.

He understood, oh too well, the significant blow Sango had been dealt after learning her whole life's purpose had been in vain from the start. The brother she had hoped to save, the demon she had hoped to kill---both were dead before she had even found the wind-demoness's heart and brought it to that despicable surgeon. The bitter, lonely years after were too hard to contemplate, though Kurama understood that, too, and wondered anew how she had kept herself from being consumed by the despair and hatred.

She finally slept, wearied by the tears she had spent against him. Kurama twisted a silky black lock of her hair around his finger, and watched the fine threads slither free one by one. She was so small to have born such weight upon her shoulders. So small, and yet so strong. He was humbled by the strength of her spirit, and his eyes softened as he studied the tear-streaked face. Such a delicate face, yet so sharp in outline. Her lips were swollen from where she'd bitten them, trying so stubbornly to hold back her tears, and the sooty feathers of her thick lashes lay against the drawn pallor of her creamy skin. She looked so fragile, and yet it hid an inner steel that had seen her through horrific trials he could only guess at.

He was surprised by the tenderness she evoked within him, the compassion and pity, and wondered what it might mean for the half-formed plans he was about to put into play. It would not be in the slayer's best interests to take her in such a vulnerable state to the unknown intrigues of Yomi's court.

Yomi's court. The very idea of Youko's former best friend and second-in-command rising in power enough to challenge Raizen and Mukuro for supreme control over demon world was completely unexpected. When he'd known Yomi---or rather, when Youko had known him---the demon had been a brash, disdainful man who took too much delight in the hunt for treasure, and not enough in the treasure itself. Power was what drove him, to reckless acts that had killed many of their men. Youko had forgiven Yomi, again and again, for they were close, as close as the bandit-thief would allow. Closer than lovers, actually, for Youko had always loved his friends more than his many amours. The fox had rescued Yomi countless times from his own foolishness, until the friendship had grown too costly, Yomi's brash acts too dangerous to ignore any longer.

Youko had been quick to cut off the bad seed that had threatened to spread its poison among all their men, and thus endanger the whole band. Finding a mercenary-assassin strong enough to kill the demon was easy enough, as was setting up the trap that Yomi fell head-first into, just as the fox had known he would. It was so easy to manipulate those you knew best.

Kurama frowned. Yes, it had been easy for Youko to manipulate Yomi into the situation that should have killed him. But somehow, the demon had survived, and not only survived, but prospered. He wondered if Yomi had changed at all over the passing centuries, due to his blindness, and again, the haunting phrase at the end of his Spirit of Words, about finally finding "the one who stole the light from me" was really true.

If it was, than Kurama did not know what kind of reception to expect of Yomi. Although the King had reassured him that he valued and needed his assistance in these uncertain times, Kurama did not know if it just hid a trap he was willfully walking into. But Yomi knew how to manipulate _him_, by piquing his curiosity, and Kurama felt guilty for what Youko had considered an evil necessity at the time.

Ah, well, those were questions he would have answered when he arrived, and not before. For now, it was enough to follow Sango's lead, and catch what sleep he could. Within three days, they would arrive at the city, and either Yomi would welcome his old friend or seek revenge on the half-human the silver fox had become.

ooOOOoo

He awoke just as dawn was breaking. The light edged across the coral sky, turning the lazy purple clouds a dark indigo and burnt rust. The slayer was warm against him, her tousled head bent into the crook of his shoulder. His skin prickled beneath her slow, even breaths, and he stared down at her, watching as the growing light turned various strands in her dark hair a rich chestnut as the fiery glow of the hidden sun slowly crept across her skin. He looked up, wary of the red splendor of the morning sky, and remembered the old adage, "Red sun by morning, sailor take warning." Although it was a human saying, it was just as true in Makai. It would storm later, perhaps strong enough that they would need to seek shelter.

But for now the morning was bursting forth in all its late spring glory. A bird sang madly, and the slayer stirred, slowly opening her eyes and blinking up at him in confusion. She was so achingly beautiful in her vulnerability---perhaps because she did not let anyone see it that often---that he could not help himself. Tightening his arms around her, Kurama bent his head, shifting her slightly so he could draw her mouth up to his. Her lips were so soft, so tempting, he longed to trace his tongue across them, see if he could draw from her the passionate response of before...

But the flash of pain in her deep brown eyes made him pause, his mouth mere inches from hers. The tension was palpable as she stiffened, recollections flickering through her darkening gaze as her fingers spread, palm flattening against his chest to stop him. The stark emotion in her haunted eyes made Kurama curse Hiei for his selfish stupidity, and not for the first time.

Although he knew, and even understood, the fears that drove the apparition to do what he had, Kurama could not help but blame Hiei for the pain it caused Sango. Burdened by so much already, to be left alone at such a time, after sharing such intimacy---that was nearly unforgivable.

But Kurama, cursed to see and consider all sides of a situation, could not condemn Hiei for what was, in the end, something he, himself, might have done if given similar circumstances. Hiei's fears where _his_ fears---that becoming too involved, too affected, and too vulnerable to another might open the way up for a loss of control that was too hard to contemplate. Yes, he understood very well why Hiei had done what he'd done, and perhaps it was for the best that Sango was still so affected by it. For it gave him the icy knowledge that what he would do could only wound her further, and he did not want that. She deserved better of him.

Of both of them.

The knowledge sat heavily on him, and left an ache that it should not. For it was to protect the slayer from himself---and the inevitable heartache that could only come from any sort of relationship between them---that had him smoothly altering his intended kiss into a gentle press of his lips against her forehead.

"Good morning," he said, carefully hiding the sudden sense of sorrow behind polite concern. "How are you feeling?"

"Ah…" She flushed, uncomfortably looking away, and he was glad she could not see the wry twist of his lips as he resigned himself to the inevitable role he must play.

"Sango, I am your friend," he put extra emphasis on the last word, and felt the silent tension drain away as she looked back up at him with frank relief in her troubled gaze.

"I...thank you, Kurama," she said, falling back into formality as she made a slight half-bow. He ached to see it, but welcomed the barrier it would put between them. A barrier necessary to protect her from being hurt again---and this time, by him.

"There's no need," he demurred, and wished it was true.

ooOOOoo

Kurama's gentle reassurance soothed Sango's troubled spirit more than he could ever know. His easy manner, as if nothing had occurred last night other than one friend comforting another, dispelled her acute embarrassment over what had, and let her regain some of the pride she'd lost in that weak moment.

The release of her pent-up pain left her drained, but calm and accepting. She still hurt, but it was not so overwhelming, and something she knew would eventually heal. She just had to give herself time. Time to adjust and accept and mourn those lost to her forever. Perhaps one day she could look beyond it, to rediscover that in life which made each day welcomed rather than just tolerated. But for now it was enough to take it one day at a time, exist in the here and now, and let the quiet comfort of the forest console her.

The wilderness they traveled through was untouched by the seething tension underlying so much of Murkuro's territory, and not empty and abandoned like the mountain forests of Raizen's. Here, nature was allowed to live untroubled by the struggles of more powerful youkai, and the quiet constancy of that natural cycle salved Sango's aching awareness that life _did_ go on. She could accept the past, bury her brother's memory under the aching regret of not saving him, and accept that he was truly gone. It even helped to comfort her a little to think his troubled soul now lay at peace with the others of her village.

She could finally accept, too, the bitter draught of Hiei's leaving. She couldn't fault him, not really, when it was _her_ who had so desperately turned to him, clutching at anything that night to deny the raw pain inside her. She'd seen that desperation with others---after a battle, when they sought to chase away the proximity of death in the arms of another. It was a very human reaction, a need to prove that life was still there, closer than death.

Still, it hurt. She knew that that, too, would eventually heal, as long as she gave herself time. But she hated how her breath would come short, her heart contracting sharply, when she happened to glimpse a pair of red eyes glowing beneath the dark shadows of a tree just before some youkai animal fled their approach. Hard, too, was when Kurama would lay a light hand on her arm or shoulder, and her skin would tingle for long moments after his warmth left hers in a way that was too---well, she didn't know what it was, but it troubled her, and made her edgy and restless and uncertain. So she deliberately pushed it aside, giving herself time to deal with it, maybe come to terms later with whatever it was.

Time. That was what she needed now.

ooOOOoo

The capital city dominated the skyline, its glittering lights twinkling amid the murky shadows that swathed the base in a thick fog of demonic energy. Wreathed by grasslands where giant, flat-topped trees made strange islands in the sky, like opened umbrellas, the wide valley fanned out before them. Wild forest grew right to the edge of the cliff they stood upon, the face sheered off to show the rich red-brown soil that made the plain below so fertile.

Lightning snaked over the skyscrapers, glinting off the silver metal before thunder rolled out across the valley. Sango shivered, for the purple clouds seemed to linger over the shadowed city, as if the strong concentration of jyaki there drew them. She glanced up at Kurama, who stood beside her, pack casually slung over one shoulder, his long, red hair whipping in the rising wind.

She wondered what he was thinking, but her attention was snagged by a sharp ripple in the energy fields surrounding them. "Kurama," she hissed, drawing her knife and shying to one side as Kurama hand-sprang away. He barely avoided the three feet of lethal steel that slammed into the ground right where they'd been.

There were three of them---no, four---for the fourth broke off from the others to swing his sword at Sango's head. She barely held off the long blade with her knife, and grunted as he pressed his advantage. Dark eyes glittered above a metal chin-guard, and he said something she missed for the wind whistling in her ears as she swung her free hand up to slam him with her glowing fist.

He flopped through the air like a fish, landing with a hard thud. She glanced back at Kurama, worried that he was outnumbered, but he had already reduced the three to two by casually slinging the first one into a tree using his thorny vines. The tree cracked in half, the top falling over with a loud shudder as the hapless demon sprawled over the stump, gutted by the razor-sharp slivers.

The other two demons charged the kitsune together. Sango sprang forward to help, but was yanked back by a hard grip on her long ponytail. "Not so fast, little girl."

*_Damn it!* _She should have made sure of that jerk. Twisting around, she planted a foot in his belly and kicked the sword out of his hand. It flew through the air, end over end, finally digging point-first into the earth. He slipped a dagger free, and they grappled in earnest. They were well-matched---she just a little quicker, he just a little stronger.

"Aren't you the feisty one," the demon purred, his dark eyes bleeding with the challenge. His long, black hair whipped in the rising breeze of her growing ire over how long it was taking for her to kill him.

She sneered, wishing she had more than just a poniard so she could make him eat those words. They circled and clashed, their fight taking them further and further away from the cliff and deeper into the forest. He was good, and knew what he was doing. By fighting in such close quarters, she could not stop to summon any of her wind techniques, which took too much time in the lightning-fast moves needed to keep him away.

She tried every dirty trick she knew, and finally managed to slam an elbow into his head. Ears ringing, he back-flipped to avoid her swipe for his throat. She followed, and again, it was a circling dance of two warriors too well-matched to get a good hit in. Fretting at the minutes ticking by, Sango barely avoided his sharp claws, which he had just elongated with a snarl for how long it was taking to kill _her_.

Now the claws were out---literally, on his part---anything was fair game. Losing her compunctions against hitting an opponent _there_, Sango rolled underneath him and slammed a glowing fist right into his crotch. He howled, abruptly dropping his knife to hold his privates and fall to the ground. It was her turn to yank his head back with a hard grip on his long hair, knife held to his throat as she used her knee to pin him to the dirt.

"Yield, demon," she growled between heavy pants to catch her breath. Loathed to kill him when she might get useful information, she pressed the knife deeper. He hissed, but finally nodded when the sharp edge drew blood.

"I yield," he grudgingly spat, and she forced him up with an ungracious tug on his hair.

"Now, let's go join your fellows, hmm?" She smoothly kicked his knife out of reach, and begrudged the time it took to retrieve his sword. It was a little too heavy and broad for her, but it was easier to keep the stumbling demon in line as she force-marched him back to the cliff, where she'd left Kurama fighting his comrades.

Retracing their steps, she realized just how far their fight had taken them into the woods. She sent her senses along the wind, as Jin had taught her, using the jyaki to map out three dead demons whose fading energy signatures matched the lout in front of her. Sango frowned in worry, picking out a tremendous aura that faced the fox, and hustled her prisoner into a lurching run.

That aura---it was as powerful as the other kings. It must be Yomi, who had perhaps come to the fox's aid. Kurama had said they were expected---though he hadn't explained much past that, and Sango had been too wrapped up in her own misery to pay attention. Biting her lip, she shook her head at her own stupidity, and wondered why demons would attack them this close to the capital. She had thought Yomi's troops were among the best, a disciplined force almost unheard of before in Makai.

But as they neared the clearing, she heard Kurama's voice, almost mildly saying it had been a long time. Sango stiffened. _*A thousand years?* _

There was too much she didn't know, which became uncomfortably clear as Yomi replied, apologizing for the "attack" and justifying it by saying he knew it wouldn't be a threat to the fox, that he believed in his power and asked for his trust.

_*Trust? When he just _attacked_ us?* _Sango couldn't believe her ears, and her captive grinned maliciously at her dubious expression. Eyes narrowing, she pushed him forward to stumble out from under the trees.

"Kurama?" she questioned quietly, eyes flicking suspiciously between the two, refusing to be cowed by the terrible aura pouring off of the king. He turned to look at her, one brow raised in surprise, and she started at the closed eyes, lids seamlessly sealed to his cheeks, lashes drawing a dark, feathering line against his skin. The youkai's eyes had somehow been removed, taken away so that he could not heal, and he was completely blind. Nearly as tall as Raizen, he was the picture of calm authority. His purple trench coat was cut in a military, yet regal, fashion and he had a plethora of horns and ears wreathing a handsome face cut like a Roman statue. Rather than detracting from his handsomeness, they only framed it, two horns curling forward while the rest curled back along his long, black hair.

"Shigeto?" The king suddenly frowned, recognizing her prisoner, who abruptly prostrated himself.

"Forgive me, sire!" the demon groveled, like a bad play. "I---"

"Silence!" the king snapped, and the demon pressed his face into the dirt, trembling. Troubledby the sudden fear in a warrior who had fought so well, Sango stared at the king as Kurama calmly joined her. She glanced up at him, and there was a warning in his deep green eyes, though his demeanor was deliberately casual.

"Kurama, this is an interesting turn of events. I did not expect for you to bring a companion." The pointed innuendo of the last word made Sango stiffen. Her eyes narrowed, but Kurama put a light hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly in warning.

"And such a lovely one at that." Yomi smiled, and coming closer, offered an ironic bow. Kurama's hand tightened on her shoulder, but he did not look at her. Instead, he said coolly, "Allow me to introduce you, Yomi, to _my_ companion. Sango, this is King Yomi, an old friend who seems to have come up in the world."

Throwing his head back, the tall demon laughed---a deep, rich sound at odds with his stoic irony. "Well put, Kurama. I have missed your sense of humor. I knew I chose wisely when I asked you to come be my advisor. You will keep me grounded, fox."

"I'm glad I can provide some small amusement, Yomi," Kurama said, his expression deadpan. Brow knitting, Sango bit her lip, thrown off by the strange byplay between them.

"Well, you are welcome as my honored guest, Sango," Yomi said graciously as he relaxed minutely. Funny, but Kurama's tension was still too clear to read as the king picked up her free hand and bringing it to his lips, kissed it softly. "And it _is_ an honor."

Unsettled, Sango blushed. She was glad when the king dropped her hand. Straightening, Yomi was about to speak, but they were interrupted by the abrupt arrival of yet another demon, one who called out to the king.

"What is it, Yuda?" There was an edge to the tall youkai's voice, as if he found the distraction untimely.

"It is almost time for the Unification Conference, my lord." The short, elderly demon barely spared them a glance, his entire attention on the king. "The Council is gathering."

"Ah." Yomi smiled slightly. "Thank you, Yuda, for reminding me. I had all but forgotten we were to meet this afternoon."

"I thought you might, Sire." Sango immediately disliked the elderly demon's unctuous manner. He was clearly that most cultivated of ass-kissers, a snob flaunting their favor any chance they could. There had been plenty of _those_ in King Yama's court, but she had had little to do with them, thank the kami. She wondered why a demon of Yomi's strength would keep such a creature around. Perhaps it was for the flattery or amusement, since the presence of Lord Sesshoumaru's personal servant, Jaken, had been just as baffling.

But then, it could be the demon's fervent loyalty, for his black eyes were all but simpering at the king's praise. Ugh. Sango felt soiled just watching it. Though, the startling realization came to her that for the first time in more than a week, she was actually _in_ the moment, and not half-lost in her own world. Frowning, she mentally chastised herself for what now seemed rather foolish, as there were unexplained currents of tension here she could not quite put her finger on. She had too little information, and only had herself to blame for the lack.

Much to her further chagrin, she had just missed the next exchange, once again lost in her thoughts. That bothered her, that she had become so…easily distracted. Now annoyed, she focused hard on the stiff exchange between the king and his servant, who was peering at Kurama like he was something distasteful.

"Are you certain you want him gracing out table, Sire?"

"You heard what I said." The hard authority in the king's voice was so different from his urbane camaraderie that it immediately put Sango's back up. This demon played a deep game. She glanced up at Kurama, but he seemed unaffected. Too unaffected---she had seen that expressionless look before, and it warned her to stay on guard even as the officious demon turned to her.

"And what about this one? She smells half-human, too, and has even less energy than the boy. Do you wish her to attend the conference as well?" The bewhiskered demon looked absolutely appalled by the Very Idea.

"No, Yuda." The king seemed amused by his underling's disgust. He smiled down at her in mock apology. "Though you would indeed _grace_ our table, Lady Sango, I'm afraid that our dull talks would only bore you. I hope you will not mind that I am taking Kurama from your side so soon, but I am certain you would like a chance to rest after your long journey."

He did not wait for a reply, but turned to the others. "Yuda, if you would be so kind as to show them to their rooms. Kurama, I will expect you within the hour."

"Of course," Kurama said blandly, and the king turned with a nod of farewell, then paused.

"Ah! I almost forgot. Yuda---"

"Yes, Lord?"

"Shigeto has proven incompetent. He must be dealt with---appropriately."

Yuda bowed stiffly, either from bad joints or just his normal self-importance, Sango couldn't tell. Troubled, she glanced over at the prostrated warrior, but Kurama had already taken her arm.

"Come," he said quietly. "It will be good to wash the stain of travel from off our skin."

Frowning at his deliberate distraction, her question died unasked at the look of warning in his dark green eyes. She silently nodded, and let him keep her arm as they strolled after Yomi, whose brisk pace soon outstripped theirs. After a few minutes, Yuda joined them, his manner repugnantly smug. He even waved an indulgent hand as he overtook them.

"We mustn't keep the Council waiting, and I'm sure you will want to change into something a little more…appropriate." The short demon intently watched her reaction over that last word, and smiled sourly when she only met his malicious gaze with her own, revealing nothing whatsoever. "Hmph, very well. Come along, then."


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I could not find information regarding Yomi's two advisors, who appeared so briefly on the anime, and so have invented names, personalities and backgrounds that are purely speculative (and probably way off the mark, lol!) Be warned, this chapter is rough. I was in a hurry to post. ;o) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

WORDS

fusuma - thicker paper screen than a shoji, usually used for the outer walls

_**Chapter Thirty **_

Jin was right. Makai had all the technological advances of human world or, at least, Gandara did. Though it was strange to see a four-armed lizard hurrying along the street or one-eyed housewives gossiping under an awning. No less odd than spying a bulbous-looking frog demon taking a cup of tea at an outside café, though, or watching a ten-foot ogre duck to avoid hitting the hanging neon signs above him.

Trying to pretend it wasn't downright weird, Sango could only remember brief snatches of the streets they passed.Oddly, there were no cars about. Everyone moved on foot, though occasional dinosaurs loped by and things flew overhead with other demons riding them. The hum of the city was palpable, as were the familiar smells of any overcrowded city on living world. 

They finally broke from the crowded streets into a stretch of parkland. The noise of the city faded as they walked beneath giant trees that were dwarfed by the tall buildings above. Sango felt some of her tension fade as the thick greenery surrounded them. She looked over at Kurama, but he was deep in thought, his serene expression remote. She stared up in curiosity as they skirted a glass tower that went up several stories, a cellular antenna cleverly disguised in the building's steeple. She wondered if it was a greenhouse, for she glimpsed lush plants through the sparkling windows. But the stone path meandered past it, and the forest abruptly gave way to a high, wooden palisade.

Sentries challenged them at the gate, and Yuda sneered his way past. Two guards accompanied them beyond the protective walls, and Sango stared uneasily around her as the gates clanged shut. The king's home was laid out in the precise manner of a daimyo's estate in the late Sengoku Jidai, and she was taken aback by the haunting familiarity. A sprawling, single-story building with latticed screens and wrap-around porch lay a little to the right, a smaller one closer on the left, and yet another half-hidden in the lush trees in the distance. Seemingly careless paths had been laid between the buildings to take advantage of a particular view or artfully displayed garden or fountain. Water trickled down a bamboo chute, which struck a hollow clatter as the water tipped it down to the stone bowl below.

Sango shivered, the acute sense of déjà vu strengthening as they approached the main house. Bending automatically to remove her dusty sandals, she blushed when Kurama looked down at her in curiosity---for the custom now was to remove one's shoes once they entered the house, not before they set foot on the porch. But Yuda gave her a surprised look of approval, and a servant appeared on the top step to exchange their dirty footwear for soft slippers. Dressed in traditional garments, he appeared anonymously human, but it was just an illusion to hide his true, demonic nature. Sango could not place his energy, but it was minor. That seemed to be the norm, for all the other servants she glimpsed as Yuda led them inside and down a long hallway were similarly bland in appearance and energy levels.

The gnarled demon finally stopped in front of a fusuma as alike as any other, but closer to the end of the hall than the beginning. One of the guards stepped forward to slide the paper screen back. Yuda turned a narrow glare on Kurama, taking his leave with a snide, "Here are your rooms. The council meets in an hour; you better not be late. Shi, here, will show you the way."

Kurama smiled thinly, and the elderly demon smirked. Turning on his heel, he rapidly disappeared, leaving the two guards to station themselves on either side of the open door. Kurama drew Sango inside, finally letting go of her arm to close the door. Although there was no lock to bar another's entrance and the paper screens provided little true privacy, Sango relaxed once it was firmly shut, enough so to look around curiously. The sitting room was a simple arrangement, with three doors off of it---probably to two bedrooms and a shared bath. She hoped the facilities were more modern than what the traditional furnishings suggested.

Looking down at her, Kurama frowned, worry creasing his smooth brow. "Sango, I'm sorry, but I should probably…"

"Go on," she shooed him. "I'll be fine, honest."

"Thank you." He lightly gripped her shoulder before disappearing inside the bathroom. Shrugging, Sango investigated the two bedrooms, which were similar, except one had clothing carefully folded atop the chest at the foot of its futon, while the other had a pretty flower arrangement set in a simple vase on the side table. A simple yukata had been laid across the bed, and she was grateful for the thoughtfulness. She'd welcome a shower, for it had been too long since she'd been able to take more than a hasty spit bath at the edge of an icy stream. The last real chance had been in Raizen's hot springs, actually.

The reminder troubled her, and she quickly distracted herself by finally laying the sword half-forgotten in her hand down on a convenient shelf. Kurama had taken his pack with him inside the bathroom, but once he was done she could fetch her few belongings, meager as they were. She wondered if she could get their dirty clothes laundered, and idly stared at the simple lines of a blossom-laid cherry tree painted along the wall behind the bed.

Sango turned, startled, as the door rustled. Kurama smiled apologetically, fingers combing through his rapidly drying hair. He had changed into an iron-grey trench coat that matched the king's in military style, but was cut short at the knee. A neon-green turtleneck, black slacks and boots completed the uniform. The startling bright color of the turtleneck brought out the rich green of his verdant eyes. "Sango? The bathroom's free."

She smiled gratefully, and he paused, almost uncertain.

"I don't know how long…"

"It's okay, Kurama. I understand. Your time is not your own." She kept her tone light, for she could hear the worry in his. "You shouldn't keep the council waiting."

"True," Kurama admitted, still reluctant.

"Kurama, it's all right," Sango said softly. His eyes searched hers for a long moment, and reaching out with a gentle hand, he brushed her hair back behind her ear. Sango's breath caught at the aching gentleness of the simple gesture.

"I'll see you later?"

"Of course," she said too casually, heart thumping too hard in her chest. He nodded, and swiftly crossing the outer room, was gone.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Sango bit her lip. She didn't like the turmoil the fox had stirred inside her, and shied away from it. Scornful red eyes flicked across her troubled thoughts, and she flinched. Hands tightening on her upper arms until the knuckles stood out in sharp relief, she shook her head. She couldn't deal with it, not right now. Maybe later, after she had a shower and maybe a nap, for she suddenly felt drained, more tired than she actually should.

Rousing herself, she picked up the yukata and was thankful to find the bathroom more modern in design than the rooms suggested. The water-closet was separate from the shower, which was heavenly. She took her time, grateful for the simple luxury. Wrapping her wet hair in a thick towel, she donned the yukata and tightened the belt quickly, for she suddenly felt a _presence_ outside the door.

Not the bathroom door, but the sitting room. It was as if the person had just announced themselves by revealing their aura. Perhaps that was a demon's way of knocking, for the screen slid open to reveal a pretty young woman. Dressed in a blue kimono with a bright yellow obi, her long, black hair was caught in a traditionally low ponytail. Although she appeared human, the purple sheen to her midnight hair and the slightly red tinge to her chocolate-brown eyes gave her true nature away. She smiled sweetly, and bowed.

"Lady Sango? I am Amaya, and I welcome you to my lord's home," she said, waving two servants to follow as she stepped inside the room. The servants, both women as plain of face and dress as the other servants Sango had seen, each bowed over the bundles in their arms.

"I have brought clothing. I hope you don't mind, but my lord likes to keep a strictly traditional household, and I was not certain if you had any suitable garments," the youkai said delicately, her melodious voice soft. She exuded a sweet, winsome femininity, and Sango did not think it was feigned, for the clear gaze held no hostility or calculation.

"Er, thank you, my lady," Sango replied, uncertain of the correct address. The demoness was too well-dressed to be a servant, but not well enough to be the king's wife. Amaya smiled reassuringly.

"I understand you are new to Gandara," she said, turning to the servants. She looked questioningly at Sango, who nodded awkwardly, and then directed the two women to take the clothing into the bedroom. "Our city is beautiful, is it not? Though I must admit that I prefer my lord's estate, for the tranquility of traditions preserved." Expertly shepherding the taiji-ya ahead of her, the young woman kept up an easy, one-sided dialogue extolling the city's many charms. At a loss, Sango could only nod, which was all that Amaya seemed to require. Opening the first of the wrapped kimono with a sweet smile, the demoness held it up thoughtfully. A pretty light green, pink cherry blossoms decorated the fine silk.

"I thought that this might suit you best," Amaya said with some satisfaction, and motioned Sango to disrobe. Sango hesitated, but the two servants were already waiting on either side of her, white undergarments in hand. Sango gave in reluctantly, knowing it was the way of things in such a fine place but still uneasy with having others wait on her. It was strange to don the familiar garments, though of a finer weave than any _she_ had ever owned. Her uneasiness grew as each layer was added, though it was nothing like the truly formal wear of a lady in full traditional garb. There were only three kimono: the white yukata, a pale yellow and the embroidered light green atop. The silks were of summer-weight, and although the long skirts felt strange around her ankles, were not encumbering. The stiff obi, in a brighter shade than the pale yellow of her under kimono, was tied expertly at the small of her back, and Amaya stepped back to admire her work.

"You have beautiful hair," the youkai said, running a hand through the damp locks. "But it looks a little shaggy. May I?"

Self-conscious of the bangs that had grown somewhat ragged since her last haircut, Sango nodded. She had never thought much of her hair, had always kept it in the same style as it was simple to cut square across her brow and cheeks. The silver shears in the demoness's hand made quick work of trimming her over-grown bangs. Sango bit her lip, strangely troubled by the simple act, which she had unconsciously done a thousand times herself. Her unease grew, as stepping back, Amaya smiled with true delight and drew her to the floor-length mirror to view the results for herself.

"How beautiful you are, Sango-sama!" the youkai exclaimed, and Sango stared at the stark reminder of the past, flinching from the pretty picture of a woman too pale with eyes too big and brown. A woman who had stepped straight out of the Sengoku Jidai to stare around her in bewildered confusion. Her neatly trimmed hair, now tied back with a white bow down her back, the beautiful silk of her kimono and the smiling approval of the woman behind her made Sango pause.

A strange lump formed in her throat, and Sango blinked rapidly, the sudden desire to cry prickling behind her lowered lashes. She didn't know why; she just felt so alien, a stranger in her own skin. One hauntingly familiar and yet unwelcome. She inhaled raggedly, and turned her eyes away, thankful that Amaya did not notice, busy as she was summoning the servants to fetch proper footwear, intending a stroll in the gardens before the formal dinner to be held that night.

Sango distractedly agreed to the walk, and the woman pressed her hand warmly, her smile open and friendly.

ooOOOoo

"And what if I decide _not_ to help you unite demon world, once Raizen dies and Makai is thrown into, as you say, chaos?" Kurama demanded. "What then, Yomi?"

The king smiled. "Why, Kurama, I am disappointed that you do not think I have already thought of that myself. Why, you betrayed me once by sending this decrepit brute to kill me." He toed the broken body of the former assassin, the blood smearing across the gleaming polish of his boot where the king had planted it inside the demon's skull. "Instead, the blundering fool only took my light, as I prefer to call my blindness. Not that I blame you, Kurama---as I already said, I hold no grudge, and only brought up the past so that we can move beyond it, let bygones be bygones."

Kurama stared at the king, waiting for him to reveal his hand. This Yomi was not the rash creature he had once known, and the king had already revealed that he knew far more than he had first let on when they initially met outside the city.

The council had gone much as Kurama expected. He knew already that Yomi plotted to take control over demon world once the Toushin died and King Mukuro moved against him. The four elite advisors who had attended the conference had been much as he'd expected as well. Two represented powerful allies of the king---one a catfish demon, the other of the forest youkai sometimes mistakenly called the "Fair Folk" by humans. The ever-sneering Yuda, of course, had attended as well. He was not the unctuous fool he seemed, but the king's chief mechanical engineer---having invented a way to measure demonic energy---and an expert on demon physiology.

The fourth had been a narrow-minded warrior named Shachi, who was chief of the military, and before Kurama's arrival, Yomi's right-hand man. Predictably, the general had not taken well to Kurama's cool summation that he would replace him as Yomi's second-in-command in less than a year.Kurama had earned an enemy---although the aquatic demon posed less a threat to the fox than his inflated ego would ever let him believe.

Yomi, in typical demon fashion, had been delighted by the budding enmity between his proud general and his old "friend." He expounded on how the council had not been that riled in years as they strolled through the beautiful chambers, slowly making their way down to the bowels of the tall building, where the dungeons lay hidden behind thick metal walls to hide the wretched screams of the tortured souls left there to rot.

Seeing the sobbing wreck of the powerful mercenary Youko had hired nearly a millennia ago to kill the king now standing at his side, Kurama's mind was already trying to figure out the real reason Yomi had brought him here. To expunge the past, yes, but that was not the only purpose. Yomi had become as calculatingly cold and cruel as he claimed Youko to be, and the change in the brash demon was so drastic Kurama was still trying to predict what he would do.

Yomi knew more about him than he knew about the king, and that disturbed the fox, for Kurama did not like being caught so off-guard. Yomi had just detailed in succinct amusement how he knew that Youko, mortally injured, had fled Spirit World and took refuge in the unborn human child of Shiori Minamino. How that child---called Shuichi by his human mother, but known as Kurama to those who knew the truth---had later met Yusuke, which had led him to demon world fighting Sensui, and then, eventually, to Gandara and its king. It was a sequence of casual events the king tried to tie together as if it were fate or kismet that had brought them back together. Yomi claimed he needed Kurama, for his ruthless ability to think without emotion, but how much did he really? That was what Kurama was testing with his deliberate provocation.

"I do wonder, Kurama, what would keep you from betraying me again? I have to consider that, old friend. You can hardly fault me for it, and would think less of me if I didn't. I couldn't have that, now could I? It would hurt me too much." Yomi's word games were just that. He was drawing out the moment, relishing the way he could keep Kurama on edge for as long as possible. In some ways, Yomi had not changed. He had always had a flare for the dramatic.

Kurama waited silently, refusing to be so easily baited. Yomi smiled, a twist of acknowledgement for the fox's cool disdain before he said quietly, "Your human mother...isn't she about to get married? Within the next month or two, isn't that right?"

Kurama stiffened.

Yomi's malicious smile widened. "Wouldn't it be tragic if....well, I shouldn't really say, should I? It's bad luck to speak of all the misfortunes that could befall two young lovers---or should I say, in this case, middle-aged lovers. We wouldn't want anything to happen to them, now would we?"

Kurama's eyes narrowed.

"Ha." Yomi turned slightly. "Somehow, that's not enough, is it, Kurama? Then what about your young lady friend? Sango, wasn't it? Such a lovely creature. Really quite charming. To say I was surprised by her arrival would be an understatement, but her presence here proves quite fortuitous."

Kurama stilled, his tightening fists hidden by the long sleeves of his gray trench-coat but not from the blind demon's incredibly keen senses.

Yomi casually twisted the knife deeper. "What terrible things could befall such a lovely young woman? Really, that would be a worse tragedy than the mishaps that could befall your sweet mother and the love of her sad, humanly short, life."

"No, Yomi," Kurama whispered tightly, the revealing words forced past his lips before he could recall them.

Yomi smiled. "I like to think of it as insurance, Kurama, for your continued assistance. You, my old friend, have taught me well."

Kurama's green eyes glinted dangerously.

Yomi laughed. "Now, that is very cold and truly threatening. I have missed you, Kurama---you can't know how much. I really do value your insight and cool ability to think without emotion. Even now, when I have angered you greatly, your ruthless mind is methodically sifting through the possibilities, wondering how you could turn this situation to your advantage. While a lesser apparition would be overcome by their emotion, you are already thinking three steps ahead. Already considering in what ways you might manipulate the circumstances---and no one can say if was because you actually have feelings for these people, or if you do not want anything to jeopardize your control."

He despised the smug delight written on the king's handsome face. Damn him, Yomi was right---though even Kurama did not know in which way. Turning his head, the fox stared at the wall for a long time. Yomi waited quietly, giving him the time, at least, to contemplate what he could do with what had become an untenable situation. There were ways he _could_ turn it to his advantage, although even Yomi might not guess how personal they were. Finally, grudgingly, he said, "I have devised a plan."

"Ah, you have not failed my faith in you, old friend."

Ignoring him, Kurama said coldly, "There are two problems."

"Oh?"

"As you know, my mother is getting married in July, and I am a junior in high school. Final exams are coming up---"

Yomi sneered, but did not interrupt.

"And I would like to return to Ningenkai. Give me two months to wrap up my affairs in human world, and I will also use that time to recruit for you six powerful demons I met during a previous tournament. With intensive training, they could provide you with a tactical advantage that would shift the outcome of the war indelibly in your favor."

"Only six?" Yomi taunted. "Shachi has an army of thousands, and you claim you could find me six demons strong enough to overcome the might of Mukuro's forces?"

"Yes."

Yomi suddenly laughed. "How very chilling, and so endearingly familiar about you, Kurama. On the surface, it would seem you have garnered the ability to make friends, but little do they know, they are just tools, like everyone else, for you to use."

"Tools you would do well to use yourself, Yomi," Kurama replied blandly.

Relaxing, Yomi smiled. "I am so glad we have reached an understanding, Kurama. Very well. I will allow you to return to human world to tend to your affairs. We mustn't let mummy dearest suspect your true, demonic nature. It would break her simple human heart, wouldn't it, Kurama? Thankfully, she will have a stepson come July to replace her absent son, Shuichi. Kokota is his name, isn't it?"

"Your spies have done well," Kurama conceded.

"Yes, they are very thorough," Yomi said smugly. "Yet another thing I learned from you, Kurama---the importance of gathering information." When the fox did not deign to reply, the king abruptly changed the subject, his deep voice almost purring, "I noticed, my old friend, that you did not ask for the lady to accompany you to Ningenkai."

"I am not a fool, Yomi," Kurama said sharply. "I may appear weak in this body, but you should not underestimate me." It was the only warning he would give his old friend---a last concession to make up for Youko's betrayal so long ago.

"Advice my general Shachi should keep in mind," Yomi said, deliberately ignoring the subtle dig. "You're right, Kurama, you are not a fool, and I know that. The girl will stay here as collateral for your good behavior. I will be watching, of course."

"Of course," Kurama agreed dryly. "You always learned quickly, old friend."

Yomi abruptly burst out laughing. "Truly, Kurama, I have missed you. You will hurry back, won't you? I know you intend to set out in the morning; you were never one to waste time putting a chosen course into action."

Kurama only looked at him. The king met his cold gaze, as if he could actually see the hard flint in his eyes. Yomi smiled softly. "I will take care of her, old friend. For your sake."

"You'd better," Kurama growled softly, Youko's presence achingly close and adding a darkness to his hard voice. Turning on his heel, he stalked from the disgusting warren, leaving the stench of congealed blood and the king's mocking laughter behind.

ooOOOoo

Dinner, to say the least, was uncomfortable. From Amaya's offhand comments, Sango had been led to believe that it would be a casual affair---although casual was a relative term in a household as rigidly formal as the king's. But the king had arbitrarily decided that a formal reception to welcome their guests would be more appropriate, and a perfect opportunity for both Sango and Kurama to meet everyone at once. The "small" reception included four of the king's closest advisors and their various assistants and sycophants, their wives and mates, as designated---since demon world did not seem to have the sexual hang ups of human world, and recognized same-gender relationships as valid as any other---and all six of the king's publicly-acknowledged concubines. Amaya, of course, was included in the last group, who were a bevy of demur flowers with not a single thought in their beautiful heads. Sango soon grew bored of their conversation, which centered around what they and others wore, what they and others said, and what they and others did----which was really not much when all was said and done.

As she did not know anyone else, Sango was stuck with them, for Kurama and the king had yet to arrive, and it would be unheard of for a strange man to approach her without formal introduction by either. Or so Amaya had told her in a shocked whisper when Sango quietly asked. Taking in the taiji-ya's anxious expression, Amaya patted her arm. "Don't worry, Sango-sama. They will be along shortly. I'm certain they are only catching up; they are old friends, you know."

No, she didn't. Sango gave the woman a sharp glance, but the demoness had already turned to another of Yomi's butterflies, who watched her with a false simper that did not quite reach her oddly lemon-colored eyes. Easily the most beautiful of Yomi's concubines, her white-blond hair and yellow eyes were a startling contrast to her blue skin. Unlike the others, she sported two horns curling prettily around her ears, the tips painted to match her claws and the delicate pattern woven into her kimono. She was as cool as Amaya was warm, and Sango was glad when the youkai pointedly moved on with the merest nod of her haughty head. At one time, a bitch like her would have set Sango's teeth on edge, but Sango could care less what stupid games the youkai must play to massage her massive ego. She had always detested such women; she had always been too forthright to play such games and had never really understood why they did.

Closing her eyes and wishing she could be alone right now, Sango sighed. Being in this place, surrounded by people she did not know and did not at all like, was hard to deal with when she _wasn't_ so tired. She might hide her growing irritation behind a bland mask, but the need for that mask was irritating in itself. Draped in the most expensive silk she had ever worn, surrounded by a display of opulence she had only fleetingly glimpsed from afar in Yama's court, Sango found herself frankly bored and restless. The demons, as strange as some appeared, were dressed in naggingly traditional formality. Such constant reminders of her past---not one she had been a part of, being born in a village of taiji-ya, but one she _knew---_stirred up emotions she did not want to deal with right now.

"Sango?" Kurama was suddenly by her side. Opening her eyes, Sango smiled in relief. His green eyes, so achingly familiar in such strange surroundings, studied her expression. Without a word, he tucked her arm in his and led her across the overcrowded room to a remote corner. Nipping a glass from a passing servant, he tucked her fingers around the stem. "Drink. It might be a little strong, but it will help."

Taking his word for it, Sango took a cautious sip. The wine trickled down her throat, adding warmth to her belly, and she did feel better. "Thanks, Kurama," she said, and took a longer drink. The warmth spread, and her tiredness and irritation fled with the headache that had been coming on.

"Better?" he asked, taking the empty glass.

"Yes." She smiled. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful tonight, Sango."

She looked away, a knot forming inside her chest. Not from his compliment, which was sincere, but for the fact that she did not _feel_ beautiful. She felt lost, and the last time she had felt lost, she had lost everything. And the one who had made the world solid again, even for so short a time, had left her alone, lost and adrift once more. Her hands clenched inside her long sleeves, and she was grateful when the king approached.

"Ah, there you are, Kurama."

Kurama stiffened, and Sango wondered at the silent tension in the fox's bland expression. If she had not come to know him so well, she wouldn't have been able to detect the slight stiffening along his jaw or the miniscule tightening around his eyes. "Lord Yomi."

"Lady Sango, I hope that my Amaya has made you feel welcomed." Yomi smoothly inserted himself between them, taking her hand and bowing in more of a Western style than an Eastern.

Sango made some polite comment she could not recall, and the king smiled. "I am glad, my lady. I want you to be comfortable in my home, for I understand you will be staying for quite a while in our fair city---as my dear Kurama has so _many_ things to attend to."

She didn't know what was going on between the two demons, but she didn't like it. Surreptitiously withdrawing her hand, she demurred. Predictably, Yomi accepted it as she thought he might, given his penchant for submissive women. Yomi pointed out various youkai, making some ironic observation on this one or that, and Kurama smiled tightly. The king abruptly turned back to her, and said lightly, "My lady, I should introduce you to a few of my advisors. Shachi, especially. He's a warrior, much like yourself---"

"Yomi," Kurama growled sharply. There was a strangely husky quality to his rough voice that made Sango look up at him in surprise.

But the king only laughed, as if that was exactly the reaction he had been hoping for. It was an arrogant laugh, one that drew raised brows and surreptitious whispering behind raised hands, as if the king did not laugh that often. Sango stirred, uncomfortable with all the sudden attention turned their way, and Kurama casually moved to block her view of the rest of the room, or perhaps, block their view of her.

Yomi stopped as suddenly as he started. His grin was warm, though, amused as he reassured the fox, "Don't worry, old friend, I have no intention of letting Shachi anywhere near her. You should trust me more than _that, _Kurama."

With a mocking bow, he finally left, much to Sango's relief. She didn't like the king that much. He used words as his daggers, and flung them at random just to see the reaction. His motivations baffled her, and his cruelty was subtle. He didn't seem cruel, though, more as if he played with it, like a game he would discard when he grew bored. She wondered what was the real youkai behind the many masks Yomi donned. She pushed the uneasy thought out of her mind, taking in Kurama's angry expression.

Again, it was not something anyone who did not know him well would be able to discern---the fox really was good at keeping his face impassive. But for those who knew what to look for, it was easy to read the intensity of emotion in his dark green eyes, the little white lines at the edge of his pressed lips, and the minute tension across his relaxed shoulders.

"Kurama?" Sango softly touched his arm, and he looked down at her, the tension flowing out of him. He took her hand, and squeezed it lightly. "Come, let us step out into the galleria. We need to talk where others cannot overhear."

More than eager to get away from these people, Sango nodded. Keeping her hand, Kurama led her around the crowded room, only stopping once to introduce her to two of Yomi's advisors. One was a stiffly formal youkai with a gray, catfish-like face, a mustache's crop of gray tentacles constantly moving underneath his blunt nose. The other was a beautiful young man with carefully curled blue hair and a multitude of jewels sprinkled across his graceful hands, which he used to good advantage. Their mates were with them---a lugubrious woman as alike to the catfish as to seem twins but dressed in a sky blue kimono and purple obi, and a small young man with golden hair and limpid blue eyes. He kept one arm jealously snaked around the lord's waist, as if daring her to say anything, though his blue eyes kept flicking to Kurama, as if trying to decide what kind of threat the handsome redhead posed.

Both demons were courteous, and judging from Kurama's easy manner with them, the fox trusted them. At least, a little more than the others---for he did not stop again, though others looked eager to make their acquaintance. But the fox was adept at evasion, and they finally emerged near one of the doors, slipping outside into the dim quiet of the hallway beyond. Well, not really a hallway, but another long, narrow room whose arched windows stood a good twenty feet tall. The etched petals atop each peak formed flowers that did not match from window to window, as if the architect had deliberately kept them asymmetrical. Tall stone pillars she could never hope to encircle with her arms held up a ceiling lost to the darkness above them.

Sango welcomed the shadowed quiet of the deserted ballroom, free of the overwhelming scent and light and noise of too many people crowded in one place. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as she closed her eyes, relishing the release of tension along her neck and shoulders.

ooOOOoo

She was utterly beautiful, and completely unaware of it. She put the powdered artifice of Yomi's court to shame, made the king's lauded flowers seem like so many over-blown tiger lilies surrounding a pale narcissi. Delicate and lovely, her innate poise lent her a grace the other ladies could only imitate with mincing calculation. Even dressed in the finery of a noblewoman, Sango could not hide the studied catlike suppleness of a warrior, though there was a touching uncertainty about her. One could tell she felt ill-at-ease in such surroundings, but rather than raising amusement or disdain, it provoked sympathy. At least, in those who had not already decided to hate her---through either her connection with him or her half-demon heritage, for there were those who still held to the old prejudices.

But then, there were always people ready to hate anything that did not fit their narrow definition of the world, whatever world that happened to be: living, spirit or demon. Even Lord Tenga's young male lover raised brows and offended looks from some of the more stodgy of Yomi's court, and the demon lord was a powerful ally of the king. Although the lines were not as strict in demon society where love was concerned, there would always be those who hated others for what they themselves could never know.

He was pleased that Sango, at least, appeared to have no prejudice regarding same-gender relationships. She had accepted young Jueru as cautiously as she had Lord Aten's stuffy wife, as friendly as her naturally suspicious nature would let her. Kurama was glad---for she would need powerful allies, ones who looked on the taiji-ya with some favor, or at least, neutrality. It wasn't much, but it would provide some protection for the slayer.

And he wanted, needed, to protect her. Even from himself...

"Sango," he began softly, uncertain how she would take the news of his coming departure. Opening her eyes, she turned to look up at him, and his breath caught at the play of light and shadow across her delicate features as lightning flickered through the windows. Thunder broke the sudden moment, and recalling himself, Kurama deliberately turned to stare out at the rising storm.

The turmoil outside matched the turmoil within. He watched the lightning snake between the tall buildings with hooded eyes, calculating the distance he must put between them, both figuratively and literally. For his feelings for her put them both in danger. She had become too precious, and it was for her sake that he had to do what he must to keep her safe.

It wasn't only that Yomi was willing to hold her over his head, but the fact that he _could_. And as shocking as it was, Kurama had not known until that very moment that his emotions went far deeper than he could ever have imagined. So deep, in fact, that just the mere threat against the slayer had called Youko forth from the darker recesses of his mind. Blazing so near the surface that it was only by the tightest control that Kurama had kept the fox spirit from taking over their shared body and morphing into the powerful S-class demon he was.

He could feel Youko even now, closer than ever before. The demon fox's thoughts curled through his, whispering insidiously just beneath the surface. It would be so easy to give in to him, take the strength the fox offered. Hiei, Yusuke---they needed to train to raise their status to a level where it would help in the inevitable struggle to come once Raizen died and war broke out across Makai. Kurama did not need that, he could call on Youko, who had a thousand years of experience and power at his disposal, and was already an S class demon to rival some of the strongest in demon world. Although, despite Youko's persuasive whispers to the contrary, Kurama could not hope to defeat Yomi on that strength alone. Cunning, while good, might not be enough if he and the blind king were to battle in earnest, one on one.

Only strong emotion or mortal wounds could call Youko forth without Kurama's consent. Only when he was on the verge of death or so overcome by anger that his more primitive nature could take over would he be swallowed up in the fox spirit's overwhelming aura, his body altering to reflect the change as Youko took control_**. **_And then Kurama became but a passive observer---knowing, feeling, experiencing everything the fox did but helpless to intervene or stop the demon, whose ruthlessness was not reined by compassion or empathy whatsoever. The truth was that Youko's single most liability was that he was so completely narcissistic and selfish that he could not understand why Kurama would even care.

But Kurama _did_ care. Too much. It would be so easy to let Youko take over, to give in as the fox had always intended when he'd invaded Shiori's unborn child. But it was Shiori, his human mother, who had loved him so selflessly that the profoundness of it had rocked the world he had known on its very foundations. And he, so inherently selfish---since Youko's spirit tainted his just by being two in one as they were---knew he could never be as---_phenomenal_---as she. Was, in fact, far the lesser. But it made him want to _be_ better than he was, strive for something he could never achieve. And while knowing and accepting that horrible truth, he still felt the need to---protect it, somehow, shield that purity from the evil world he knew so well around it.

And that was one of the reasons he wanted to protect Sango. For all the bitter darkness inside her, there was a part of her left untouched by the ugliness she had lived through. A part kept untainted and pure. One so achingly innocent it gave hope to his weary heart that if she could manage to save that small part of herself, leave it untouched by the bitter loss and betrayal that had shadowed her whole life, than maybe, just maybe, there was something about this world worth saving after all.

She was Pandora, a symbol of the hope he held, desperately clung to, in the bitter knowledge of a world he (through Youko) had seen too much the darker side of. It made his cynical heart weep for the bitter irony that had led a selfish fox to take over the soul of a human boy and corrupt it into the tainted creature he had become. A creature who knew too much, saw too much, and understood too well the rarity of such a pure spirit in a world blighted by darkness and corrupted by hate. Selfless, determined and strong, the slayer was scarred and suspicious, and wounded deeply by the loss and betrayal in her life, yet still the fact that she _felt_ so deeply, could not help but do so---ah, but that was the crux of it. Sango could have closed herself off, withdrawn inside her shadows and become the icy killer rumor had painted her. But it was just a mask, a mask so brittle it fell away at the first provocation.

Such depth of emotion hurt her---and she withdrew, as any wounded animal would, curling herself around the pain and hiding it so that she wouldn't appear weak. But he knew that in time she would heal. That she would be able one day to go on and _live_. Live like he could never let himself---so lost in his fear of losing control, of letting go enough to trust that it would be all right, that he did not have to control everything so that he wouldn't be hurt. Shelling himself away behind an aloof barrier, existing on the outskirts of life, the observer as she thought herself to be and yet was not.

Fear---in all its small-minded ugliness---was what drove him, what kept him from truly living, feeling, as Sango could. And how ironic that it was that same fear which had driven Hiei to leave her alone after sharing such need that night, so afraid as the fire demon was of emotion and the affect it might have on his cool control. Ah, but Hiei was not the icy killer he thought himself, either. The apparition's passions burned too hot for him to not eventually let himself feel---if he found someone he could trust enough to let his defensive barriers down with.

And perhaps that was why it hurt so damn much, for while knowing he was so unworthy himself, Kurama knew that Hiei _was_. Especially for the taiji-ya. They had so much in common, so much pain and so much passion---passion he could never dare lose control of, not only because of Youko, but because he just couldn't lose his precious control like that. Kurama knew that one day the two would find each other again---for it was Hiei the slayer had turned to so desperately in her heartache and loss, welcoming his embrace, his strength and passion and inner fire to salve the wounds torn across her heart.

And as petty as it was, Kurama was jealous of that. But there was still a part of him that was jealous of the slayer too, for the fire demon who had welcomed her embrace as well. Two innocents, so locked in their own denial---how terribly ironic it was that he, emotional coward that he was, loved them both. So much it hurt to know that he was so unworthy of either, and could never be the solace the other craved and needed so badly. No, that was something they could only give the other---if they let themselves.

And it was for that reason that Kurama did the one thing he thought he could never do, and loved so selflessly that he bowed himself out of the equation, sacrificing his own lonely heart for what might save theirs. And he knew the despair of finality as he firmly shut the door on the wonder and revelation of how deep his feelings ran for both of them, and did what he had to do to ensure their eventual happiness.

Going to human world---he would close that door, too, and lay down the burden of his weary spirit and the internal struggle between who would win in the end---himself or Youko. For he knew with despair that it was the least he could do, ensuring the world was safe for the two he most cared about. Then he would be ready---ready to give in to Youko's desire, and become what he was always supposed to be.

Ah, but it hurt. It hurt so damn much. And he could never let Sango---or Hiei---see it. And so skilled was he at deception, so easily able to separate his overwrought emotions from what he had to do, that Sango would never guess what it cost him to put the first steps into action by carefully distancing himself from her as he would everyone. Lonely was his path, and lonely would it always be. But he could protect them both, and ensure them both the happiness he had to deny himself, weak coward that he was, and so undeserving of the very thing that they deserved so damn much.

Outside, the storm shattered the sky in fierce anger, lightning snapping as rain lashed and rattled the leaded glass in its frames. That storm was in his heart, but his face---always so easy to control---showed none of it as he turned to face the slayer, the pain he could not keep from his dark eyes thankfully hidden by the shadows that now covered his weeping soul.

For her sake, for Hiei's, he would do all he had to to ensure this last sacrifice and gift. For the love he could never know and they deserved to have. Together.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: A few notes: First, there was no storm during Kurama's confrontation with Shachi. I completely forgot while writing this chapter, but liked the dramatic effect so much I left it in. =D Secondly, I kept one freakingly fantasmic line of the anime, when Youko faces down Shachi. I bolded it to show it's not mine, but the writers' of YYH. Last, but by far not the least, I wanted to thank everyone for their continued support. The reviews always get me all crescent-eyed and giddy. Thank you! (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH THE DARK TOURNAMENT, CHAPTER BLACK, AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA! ANGST, OVER-DESCRIPTION (ROFL - YEAH, _THAT_ NEVER HAPPENS!) AND SMEXY FOX DEMONS, OH MY!

_**Chapter Thirty-One**_

Sango could not explain why six months had passed and here she sat, sobbing in yet another man's arms with her world in pieces around her. It was like a bad day-time drama on TV, one whose never-ending plot was yet at heart always the same.

Poor Jin. He was trying his best, awkwardly patting her back and saying things she couldn't understand even if she was coherent enough to try. The lilting murmur was soothing, but it only made her cry harder even as she berated herself for the pathetic weakness of it.

But, oh God, did it hurt. Everything hurt. The Band-Aid she'd slapped over the pain of Kohaku's death had been ripped right off, the wounds across her soul left raw and bleeding. She couldn't understand why everyone she loved always left her alone. So alone, as she had always been and would probably always be. That stupid thought made her cry harder, the sobs wracking through her as she buried her head in Jin's shoulder and just shook with the wild pain. She couldn't seem to contain it, couldn't seem to stop it, and couldn't seem to get past it. _*Damn it!*_

"Ah, lass, it'll be to rights, you'll see it yet. Go on, now, Lily, cry it out, lass, cry it all out…" Jin soothed, and she wept for the needy idiot she'd become. What had she been _doing_ these last six months but moping around, lost in her own world, and when not lost, restless and irritated with the people and hauntingly familiar surroundings?

She really had become a shadow, ghosting through life, always too wary of

actually living because it might mean she had to make a decision and take a chance and maybe, just maybe, learn that it was okay that she lived when others so much more deserving didn't. Learn that it was okay to _feel_, that it wasn't always pain and loss and death and guilt---so much damn guilt and shame and terrible, terrible pain. She wanted to be free of it, so much, so very damn much. And yet she kept herself shackled to it, reluctant, guilty, wondering what was worthy enough about her to actually let her.

That was unworthy of _them_---those she had lost. Their memory, their honor, their friendship and love. For Inuyasha and Kagome were as lost to her as Kohaku, and she'd clung desperately to that loss, using it as a shield to ward off the fact that life still went on, regardless of how she felt about it. It still went on, and she'd just let it pass her by…

ooOOOoo

She'd been in this damn city for six months, and still it was strange to walk down a street and see demons hurrying about their day-to-day lives. Even stranger was the technology that made Gandara so "civilized" and "modern" by youkai standards. Though it was often an odd mix of metal and flesh---a cybernetic manipulation of demon DNA the king's scientists called genomeld. Cleverly adapting the strange life forms that existed in demon world to machines, Yomi's bioengineers were able to create a variety of useful items. Like the winged eyeballs who were once used as spies (and still were, in Mukuro's territory) but whose genomelded-clones had been developed into flying video cameras who could relay their images to the converted HD towers that fed off the energy-generating sewer-fungus.

The sewer-fungus fed off the awful of other demons, absorbing the jyaki in youkai waste for its own use and generating light and electricity as a byproduct. The mycelium lived in the pipes and sewers beneath the city, and sufficiently powered most of the steel buildings that little alternative energy was needed. It was an elegant system, symbiotic and useful, but still downright creepy to one unused to the ghoulish green glow coming from the bottom of the toilet bowl at night. Though it did provide a rather convenient night light…

Gandara itself was like any city on earth. Gleaming metal towers above, overcrowded streets below. The hum of the city was palpable, even at night, though there were, of course, parts of the city that were pools of quiet in the bustling metropolis. Some were deliberate, others by chance.

Yomi's wooded estate was one such place. Nothing exemplified the arrogance of Gandara's king as his personal estate in the heart of the city. It was rather ironic that the king, who espoused the ideals of modern technology to unite and civilize demon world, would surround himself in the traditional castle of a daimyo from the Sengoku Jidai.

Walking the halls of Yomi's home was like walking straight into the past. The tatami mats under her feet transported Sango back five hundred years to a hundred different homes she had visited with both her father and later the Inu-gumi as a demon slayer. Seeing the unobtrusive servants and quiet women dressed in traditional kimono was both strangely painful and eerily comforting. As expansive and modern-thinking as Yomi seemed in public, he was rigidly traditional in private, maintaining a strict household whose chauvinistic ideals set Sango's teeth on edge.

That was the one thing about Gandara that was rather atavistic. While Yomi had no problem with women warriors, they did not serve in his army. While he had no issue with women owning businesses or pursuing careers, they were not welcomed in his civil government except in the most servile positions. Women held no true power in Gandara, and were regulated to their "proper place" for the most part by the aggressively male-dominated city. It was the poisoned thorn lying deep within the beautiful rose of the city, as Kurama had once put it.

Thinking of Kurama hurt. It hurt more than she ever guessed and hoped he would never know. Even now she could see the deep intensity of his verdant gaze, trace the fine features of his handsome face, run her fingers through the living flame of his hair as she had never dared to do so in real life. He had grown so distant, so detached, as the months passed. She had not realized how distant---not really, so wrapped up in her own self, so purposely ignoring everything around her. Perhaps even welcoming that distance so that she wouldn't be affected by it like she had been affected by so much already.

Part of it was his growing absences. Necessary absences, understandable in that the half-demon fox she knew had a real life outside Makai, one he was trying to wrap up, as he off-handedly put it. Though the emotion in his eyes---a mixture of sadness, regret and inarguable finality---had actually reached inside the numb veil she had wrapped around herself and caused Sango to touch his arm in concerned question. But he had just turned away, refusing to say more, and adroitly changed the subject, as he was always so good at doing.

She knew nothing about him, not really. Even more so, now. Sango shivered, recalling the glint of cruel amusement in green eyes turned to gold, and curled tighter around the pain, trying to ward off the smug smirk of the silver-haired fox he was in truth. _"You think _you_, a human, could ever be enough for him?"_

She didn't know what Youko had been talking about, though his silky voice, so persuasively malicious, had caused her heart to pound even as she turned away from him in disgust.

_"So quick to hate demonkind. Even though you are now one of us. How ironic---a demon slayer with the heart of a wind demon, a Spirit World assassin with the face of an angel. So untouched by the world, and yet so burdened by it. He might have loved you, you know, if he had let himself. Such a tragedy, for would _you_ have even let him?"_

_"Shut up!" _she'd cried, hands curling into fists, and he had smiled that mocking, knowing smile, as if he knew how easy it was to manipulate her emotions as he wished. Damn him and those cold, so very cold eyes, cuttingly cruel in their smug certainty. He'd laughed, so mocking and delighted, and then she was suddenly cradled in his arms, feebly struggling like a fly caught in a spider's web. He'd enjoyed that, too, the bastard, as he had devouring her protests with his hard kiss, swallowing her weak cry as her traitorous body sagged into his.

Oh, god. The memory of that shame, that she had been reduced into a shivering ball of desperate need at his despised touch, her body so easily manipulated by his skilled caress until she abandoned everything up to it. He had used her, and she had let him, knowing full well what she was doing was so very wrong. A betrayal of herself and a loss of control she could not stand but one she had needed, welcomed even, as he took her like any maiden in a bad dime novel swept away by passion.

She'd enjoyed it, though, and that knowledge shattered her, for she didn't understand what she had let herself become. She didn't know her _self_ any more, or the world around her, her place within it or the purpose behind it. So lost and so stupidly foolish to have wasted so much time, so much chance she could have had if she hadn't been so wrapped up in her own numb misery.

Oh, god, that hurt most of all. That she had wasted these past six months, when she might have…she didn't know, what, exactly, but something, _anything_, would have been better than _this_. Crying all over Jin for something she had never had, could now never have, and didn't know she'd wanted until all possibility of it was gone.

Kurama's note---so polite, so apologetic, so sorry for what had transpired. And the final words that said he would not shame her with his presence again, remorseful of his actions, though they were not his, but Youko's. She hadn't seen him in months, this the longest absence of many. Even when he was in Gandara---rather than living world wrapping up his life as Shuichi Minamino, and checking on the training of the six demons he'd recruited for Yomi---Sango rarely saw him. The king was demanding; numerous war councils and countless meetings took up the fox's time. He was always apologetic, so regretful of the time spent away, but she'd detected some relief there as well. As if Kurama was glad of the excuse that so much of his time was taken up advising the king.

Sango had missed him, especially when he'd left the first time. The two months had seemed to stretch on interminably as she was left adrift in a strange land among people she didn't know and couldn't comprehend. She had understood---his human mother was getting married, to a man Kurama respected greatly, and he was finishing up his school exams, graduating early so that he could return to Makai without further hindrance. He'd had one more set of exams, a series of tests taken with accelerated summer classes so that he could graduate early, a promise he could not break to his mother, who still thought he was human.

The revelation that he had a family in human world, was still a junior in high school---it had rocked her notions of what she had thought she knew of the red-haired fox. He'd mentioned them casually, more so she would accept why he must go, giving only the sketchiest details as he informed her of his intent to leave right away, the very next morning in fact.

That had hurt. A lot. Although Sango had understood his reasons, and could even forgive the desire to go at once, it was the way he had broken the news to her---so coolly, as if they were mere acquaintances, and not friends. Informing her, rather than telling her. There was a subtle, yet keen, difference. The memory mocked her now, for it was the start of a growing separation that now seemed inevitable.

If it hadn't been for Master Sen, she would have lost her mind during those first few months, not to mention the ones that followed. Chafing at the restrictions of Yomi's household and quickly growing bored with the other women---who she had nothing in common with---Sango had finally seized the courage to go and ask the snobby Yuda if he knew a place she could trade the weapon she'd won from Shigeto for one better fitted to her hand. The heavy blade, while a good workout for her arm, was too long for her to wield effectively, and consistent practice might fill some of the empty hours and long days while Kurama was away.

Yuda had condescended to take her to Master Sen's, if only to get the stink of hanyou out of the king's palace for a few hours, as he so sweetly put it. He'd grumbled the whole way to what had looked like a rundown junkshop, but was, in fact, a hidden treasure trove of the unusual and unique. Master Sen himself was the last thing she'd ever expected---a mole demon who stood only two feet high, wore bottle-bottomed bifocals to make up for his poor eyesight, and a faded sky-blue haori with giant pink poppies all over it. Bar the coat, which was just ridiculous, he had an innate dignity and grave manner that immediately put Sango at ease.

His gentleness with her was offset by his gruff impatience with Yuda. As the two often fell to arguing obscure points of philosophy as the king's adviser seated himself at the rickety table across from grumpy old Guchi for a game of sho, she came to understand, in time, the firm friendship that existed between the three elderly demons. Guchi, a broken-tusked grouch of a boar demon, would grumble from his uncontested corner by the soot-barfing, pot-bellied stove, where the heat salved his aching joints, as Yuda extolled at length on the king's utopist vision, matching moves on the chess board as Master Sen sat on his bar stool behind the counter, petting the skunk in his lap for hours.

Little had Sango known on that day when the mole had squinted over the keen edge of her offering and then absent-mindedly toddled into the back of his crowded shop to fetch a blade better suited to her size, that he would become so close a friend and so hard a teacher. Pulling out a sword he claimed had been made some three hundred years before for an ogre-child---a rich merchant-prince, actually---he had intently watched her keen appraisal of the blade. Well-made, it was a better weapon than the one destroyed, and far too valuable to trade for the one she'd brought. Reluctantly, for it fit as if made for her, she had put it down and shaken her head.

"It's too valuable," she said, admitting, "It's not a fair trade, and I do not have anything else to make up the difference. Thank you, but no."

She'd reached out to reclaim Shigeto's sword, but Master Sen's pink claws had lightly covered her hand. "Hold," he said, a gleam in his black eyes as his whiskers twitched. Yuda had sat back with a sly smirk as Guchi chuckled and moved his knight. "Perhaps there is something else we can arrange…"

An arrangement that had proven more valuable to Sango than the sword itself, which she wore even now, its hilt digging awkwardly into Jin's belly. The wind-demon made no complaint, only hugged her tight as she wiped her nose like a child with the back of her hand and sniveled into his shoulder.

That ramshackle shop tucked into a back alley beneath the glittering skyline of ultra-modern Gandara had become more a home to Sango than the elegant simplicity of Yomi's estate. Not that she resided there anymore---after Kurama's second departure for Ningenkai, Yuda had quietly arranged for a secondary apartment in the city. Within easy walking distance of Master Sen's shop, the old youkai explained in unctuous tones that didn't fool Sango that it would be easier for the kitsune to attend the council meetings when he was in Makai, as the government building was closer than the king's residence.Kurama used both, depending on how late the meetings ran, and had slowly withdrawn, staying more and more at the king's estate rather than the two-room apartment they shared in the city.

Sango shivered. She hadn't realized Kurama's growing absence. Even when he was in Makai, they barely saw one another. The empty rooms in the glittering apartment were even more cold and impersonal than the formal elegance of the palace. She was barely there herself, often taking her meals with Master Sen and spending long hours practicing in the weed-choked yard behind the shop if she wasn't helping the elderly mole about the place.

Not that Kurama hadn't plenty to occupy him. Besides taking accelerated summer classes to finish high school, he was keeping tabs on the six demons he had recruited for Yomi. Demons he'd met during the Dark Tournament, when Team Urameshi had fought the infamous Toguro Brothers. Sango knew Jin was one of them, and that he'd been training for the past six months under Yusuke's first teacher, Genkai. Kurama had been as skimpy on those details as he had his family, only absently telling her that the wind demon was doing well when she'd asked.

Judging from the substantial increase in Jin's energy, he had not only done well, but had amplified his jyaki exponentially over the past six months under the old priestess's harsh tutelage. He'd just returned to Makai that very morning, where he and the others had been formally presented to the king. Yomi had been so impressed that he'd immediately dismissed General Shachi in a single stroke that had turned the entire court on its ear, as the general, commander of Yomi's formidable armies, had been in power for centuries.

Sango, barely conscious of the political significance of what appeared just more squabbling among those too high to impact her directly, had not even known Kurama was to return. Arriving early at Master Sen's shop with some tea to help with the mole's persistent cough---and with the intent to watch the shop and let the stubborn demon rest---she'd been surprised when Yuda had stopped by in the late afternoon to gloat over Shachi's ignoble disgrace. The elderly advisor was eager to share a cup of tea and speculate over what the ousted general would do to the half-human fox who had displaced him as Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Sango, in the midst of pouring a cup for Master Sen---who refused to stay in bed with such goings-on---had frozen, pot half-raised in the air. Turning around, face pale, she demanded sharply, "Kurama's in danger?"

Yuda, taken aback by the sudden red glitter in her brown eyes, was for once without words. That was all the confirmation Sango needed. Putting the pot down, she bowed once to Master Sen in apology, who barked worriedly, "Sango---"

But she was already gone, her heart thudding hard inside her chest. Her eyes anxiously scanned the skyline above for the distinctive cylinder atop the tall rectangular tower of the government building, where Yuda had said they had been in council all day. The elderly advisor had finally been dismissed just an hour before, as Yomi wanted a private word with his newly promoted second-in-command.

Although Sango had never personally met the proud general, Shachi had a reputation for never forgiving a slight, even an imagined one. His sadistic duels were the talk of the city, and his jyaki was immense. An S class youkai, he was second in power only to the king, although his control was a mere shadow of Yomi's. Still, he was a formidable opponent, and nothing made a demon more powerful than hatred. And it was no secret the general loathed the fox---one of the reasons Sango had carefully kept out of his way. She wasn't about to provide the arrogant jerk an opportunity to get in a little revenge since the true object of his dislike was rarely here…

It seemed to take forever to make her way through the crowded streets. People were on their way home, stopping to pick up dinner or do a little shopping. Worming through them, Sango fretted at how long it was taking. The hidden sun was setting, turning the ever-present storm clouds above the city a violent hue, the indigo clouds a darker blot of congealed blood against the furious red-fuchsia of fresh. Lightning, oddly yellow-green with the rise of tense jyaki in the air, cracked the sky in half, and there was a collective inhalation around her as the youkai stopped and stared at one another in frank disbelief.

_*Kurama.* _Sango heart tightened, but the murmur around her was not for the fox, but for a king whose hunger pangs had growled out across the land like clock-work three times a day, at every mealtime. So predictable over the centuries that everyone set their watches by the grumbling ache of the king's empty belly. And for some reason, either by having finally fed on human flesh or finally died for his vow never to eat another human again, was now eerily silent.

But Raizen had nothing to do with Sango, and so she pushed through the stunned youkai, growling at all the people just standing about staring at one another in bewilderment. She cursed at them, frustrated by the delay, and finally shoved through the crowd to the front entrance to the government building. Lightning snaked the sky, throwing the dull metal into silver relief, thunder growling after it as the heavens opened up and rain splattered across her upturned face.

Raising an arm to ward off the fat drops, which quickly drenched her hair to her head, Sango pushed her way up the stone steps. A substantial crowd was congregating at their foot, ignoring the rain to shout at the guards in wonder over what was happening. The guards---who would normally have stopped her, demanding her business inside---were distracted by the gathering crowd, and Sango slipped through the doors without being seen.

Pressing the button on the nearest elevator, she glared as the lighted numbers slowly gleamed one by one. Too long---it was taking too long, and she had a nagging premonition that Kurama was in danger _now_. Fists clenching, she finally gave up on the exasperating elevators and slammed open the heavy metal door to the fire exit. Her heart pounded in time to her feet as she ran up the stairs, ruthlessly using her jyaki to add buoyancy to her step and grateful for the extra training she had received from Master Sen and his friends to strengthen the technique. In her haste, she forgot to add wind to her breath, and she was panting by the time she finally reached the thirty-first floor and flung the door open on the deserted galleries she had once spent an uncomfortable reception in.

She felt the fox's distinctive aura flare, and her eyes widened at the menacing aura that blazed around it, engulfing the fox's jyaki in seething hatred. _*Shachi.*_

Heart in her mouth, Sango ran pell-mell through the first gallery, the endless columns flashing past as lightning seared the shadowed room into sharp relief, rain lashing the leaded windows as the wind rattled them in their frames. One gallery gave onto another, and then another, and she dove for the closed doors of the next with a cry of desperation, for the growing auras flared before her in a powerful burst as the storm crescendoed in howling fury.

_"Kurama!" _she cried, hurling herself at the last set of doors that separated them and summoning the wind to slam them open as she clamped her hand on her sword.

Only to falter to a stop at the sight of the dead general crumpled at the foot of a tall, white-haired figure with distinctive Inuyasha-like ears.

**"Fool. You should have known your enemy," **the fox growled coldly, and an echo of the king's delighted laughter curled across the back of Sango's thoughts. _"Welcome back, Youko…"_

"Kurama?" she whispered uncertainly, and the golden eyes rose sharply to meet hers. A single brow lifted as his sensual mouth curved into a ghost of a smile that was not a smile at all.

"Ah, the taiji-ya."

Eyes narrowing, Sango kept her hand on her hilt. She stubbornly fought the instinct to take a step back when the fox lazily stalked towards her. He was a good head taller than Kurama's five-foot-ten. Although as slender in build, he was more muscled through the shoulders, which were shown to good effect by the sleeveless white clothing he wore. Strong features almost as beautiful in their marble remoteness as the earthy delicacy of his red-haired human form, the kitsune's golden eyes glinted beneath a silky waterfall of silver-white hair, his white, pointed ears perking forward as he casually folded his arms and stared down at her in interest.

Still fighting the urge to step back, for both his presence and height were overwhelming, Sango glared up at him, slightly breathless as she demanded, "Who are you? Where's Kurama?"

For there was only the faintest trace of the redhead's distinctive energy threading through the immense aura of the kitsune's jyaki. It was as if the careful balance---Kurama's yin slightly greater than the fox's yang---had been enveloped and over-taken by the power of the silver apparition standing before her. She knew Youko had taken control of their shared body somehow, reverting to his true form without Kurama's mind to control it. She stubbornly refused to believe he was not there, though, somewhere.

"What have you done with my friend?" she snapped, hand clenching ineffectually on her hilt, for she dare not hurt the kitsune when he shared the same body with Kurama.

"Your concern for the boy is touching, but needless," the fox said, his voice huskier than the one she knew. He studied her with an almost bemused curiosity, his golden eyes raking her from head to foot. "You are beautiful, I must admit, but smaller than I expected."

Sango bristled, and Youko smirked. "But then, the boy has always been rather fond of the short ones."

Not understanding what that had to do with anything, Sango ignored it to glare at him. "You're the fox spirit, aren't you? Youko? How did you take control over Kurama?"

The smirk widened into a secretive smile. "Who said I had to 'take' anything? The boy knew he could not kill Shachi without my aid, and we both knew the general would hunt us down after the meeting and force a confrontation. We've been playing the blustering fool for months, calculating to the exact minute when he would make his move."

Sango's eyes widened in surprise. They---Kurama and Youko, _together?_ Had been planning this for _months? _But why?

He must have read the question in her brown eyes, for the silver fox smirked. "Oh, it's simple enough, taiji-ya. You'd realize it yourself if you put any thought to it. Although we didn't particularly need Shachi, he was just the most convenient. We needed to provide an example that we are not easily trifled with, and to consolidate our power over the others by proving our mettle."

His cold recitation made Sango shiver, for the malicious amusement in his golden eyes told her he had enjoyed the game. "You manipulated Shachi from the beginning into attacking you? Just to prove a point?"

"Yes," the fox admitted with a casual shrug. "A very valuable point, actually. It will save quite a bit of in-fighting among the ranks once word gets out that I easily bested Yomi's strongest demon. They will accept my ascension without rancor now, a plan the king knew I was going to put into play on his behalf. I had his full consent and awareness."

"Yomi set his own general up?" Sango was horrified by the betrayal.

"Shachi set his own self up," Youko corrected mildly.

"I should have known," Sango said bitterly. "There is no true loyalty among demons."

"True," Youko said, a strange glint in his golden gaze. "We are always looking out for own best interests, aren't we, _wind-hanyou?"_

Stricken by the poignant reminder, Sango could only stare at him, the truth burning inside her heart, which thudded loudly in her ears. Her mouth was dry, and she reflexively swallowed. There was nothing she could say to that harsh statement.

Youko smiled. Leaning down so that his warm breath tickled in her ear, he said silkily, "You are so easy to manipulate, taiji-ya. Perhaps that is what the boy finds so fascinating about you."

Startled, Sango reflexively stepped back to put some distance between them.

Crossing his arms again, Youko slowly straightened and gave her a lazy look. "I did wonder what it was about you that captivated the boy so thoroughly. Now I understand a little the temptation to manipulate the emotions you wear so openly. What is the human saying? Ah, yes. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and there is an innocence there that is truly intriguing. You know such darkness, but have managed to keep your self somehow separate from it. So untouched, and so sweet in your simplicity. You truly believe in things like love, honor, and sincerity, don't you, Sango?"

Cut to the quick by the demon's malicious insight, Sango fought the sudden tears back as she whispered, "You're cold in your cruelty, demon, and hardly worthy of the boy you disdain so much. But unlike you, Kurama has the ability to _feel_."

Tilting his head back, Youko laughed. It was a rich laugh, warm and unrestrained. The cold amusement was gone, replaced by a genuine admiration as his golden eyes twinkled. "You really are refreshing, taiji-ya. Such honesty. I stand chastened."

He hardly seemed chastened. He bowed, a mocking gleam in his golden eyes. He was suddenly charming, his powerful aura morphing into something sweet and coaxing, as if he would disarm her mistrust beneath the overwhelming appeal of his marble masculinity. Wary of the sudden change in the kitsune's demeanor, Sango's eyes narrowed.

"That doesn't work on me, demon," she said flatly, denying the sexually-charged arrogance of the male demon. Many a youkai had tried to disarm her in the past with such blatant tactics, and she wouldn't start falling for that pathetic shit now.

"So I see," Youko murmured, his molten gaze boring into hers. "Pity."


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: This is a lemony first for me, in a lot of ways. It probably contains too many demon clichés, but man, do I love those clichés, and this was a helluvalotta fun to write. =P (FFNET - this chapter is short, as a lot of it was too hentai for this site's ratings. If you are over 17, you can read the full version on adultfanfiction(dot)net and mediaminer(dot)org under "YoukaiFate." Thanks yall for your kind reveiws, and hopefully this will clear up the last chapter's confusion.) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK AND THE THREE KINGS SAGA! LEMON WARNING, LIME ON FFNET (CHAPTER IS ABRUPT WITH "..." TO INDICATE EDITING!) YOU ARE WARNED!

_**Chapter Thirty-Two**_

Sango only gave Youko an impatient look. That pithy shit wouldn't work on her, either. A slow smile curved the fox's sensual mouth, and straightening, he crossed his arms again. Tilting his head to one side, he looked at her, as if considering what angle to try next. Sango stirred under that frank appraisal, frowning when he didn't say anything. She was about to speak when he suddenly flung the dagger she'd least expected.

"You think _you_, a human, could ever be enough for him?"

Her eyes widened, and he smirked, as if he won something from her. Her chest felt tight, and her heart started pounding as she ground her teeth. Disgusted by his spite, she turned away to hide the flash of anger in her eyes, but could not turn away from his next words, which were even more vicious.

"So quick to hate demonkind. Even though you are now one of us. How ironic---a demon slayer with the heart of a wind demon, a Spirit World assassin with the face of an angel. So untouched by the world, and yet so burdened by it. He might have loved you, you know, if he had let himself. Such a tragedy, for would _you_ have even let him?"

"Shut up!" she cried, whirling back around with blood in her eyes as her hands curled into impotent fists, knowing she dare not strike him, lest she hurt Kurama. The anger seethed inside her, and she hated him, then, for the knowing mockery of his cruel smile. His eyes glinted, the gold sparkling as he laughed in delight at how easily he could manipulate her emotions.

Her nails bit so deep into her palms she could feel the trickle of blood as the helpless anger suffused her building aura. She fought it back, trying to rein in her jyaki, scared lest it consume her as it had so many times in the past. Damn Youko for the need for it---he knew just exactly how to get under her skin, and so distracted was she in wrestling her raw emotions back that she didn't know when or how he'd managed to creep up on her. One moment, he was standing there laughing, and the next he was behind her, one clawed finger turning her head to stare into her shocked gaze with amusement. His other arm snaked about her torso, pinning her arms to her sides in an unbreakable hold as his head bent over hers, the hot look in his half-lidded eyes making Sango struggle to win free.

But his hold was too strong, and even as she tried to jerk her head back, his clawed fingers tightened on her chin, pulling her mouth up to his. He swallowed her outraged protest with his hard kiss, his tongue invading her mouth when she inhaled in shock. She really started to struggle then, and she could feel his sensual lips curving a wicked smile against hers as he ignored her ineffectual struggles and turned her more fully into his embrace.

His sensual lips drank greedily from her mouth as his tongue skillfully dodged her poor attempt to bite him. He growled as his fangs pricked her bottom lip in warning. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he silkily whispered, and then his lips moved over hers again, his tongue lightly laving the small drops of blood away before sliding into her mouth once more, capturing her angry gasp with his wet heat.

Her heart slammed inside her chest, and Sango tried to throw her weight backwards, hoping to surprise him into letting her go. But the strong arm wrapped around her only tightened, picking her right up off her feet as his powerful aura curled over hers, somehow threading through the hot anger and transferring the heat of his desire into the heat of her fury. For a moment, she burned with the overwhelming sensation. But then she felt the traitorous response of her own body as the heat flushed through every single part of her, turning her skin thin as nerves tingled and tiny lightnings roiled inside her belly. She moaned against his hard mouth, her body sagging into his as his skillful touch blew away the last of her weakening resistance...

His lips trailed a line of wet kisses up to her ear, and his hot breath whispered dark promises as he lightly took the lobe between his fangs, nibbling playfully. "Moan for me, Sango, let me hear the sweet cry on your lips. Yes, that's it, give it to me, little one…"

She shuddered, tears gathering in her eyes as her spine arched and she blindly tried to deny it. "No…stop…"

"Stop?" He chuckled darkly, and she sucked in her breath as he licked her ear. "I don't think you truly want that, do you, Sango?"

..."So responsive, little one. Gods, you're delicious," he whispered other sweet nothings into her ear that she couldn't even hear as he slowly withdrew his fingers. She slumped in his arms, and his mouth sought hers again, his kiss surprisingly gentle as she felt him pick her up. The room spun, and she didn't know if it was his overwhelming proximity or the transference as the space tilted around them, twisting and blurring for an instant as he used his powerful jyaki to teleport them from the deserted galleria to rooms faintly familiar---their apartment in the city, though she had never been in Kurama's bedroom but for a handful of times.

The abrupt realization of where they now were washed away the befuddled fog from her mind, and Sango stiffened. The kitsune tried to distract her with his kiss, but she turned her head away. He growled, red flashing through his golden eyes for a moment before he reasserted his cool control, the yellow deepening in intensity as he abruptly tumbled her back on the bed.

Sango reacted immediately by scooting back on her elbows, prepared to roll over and spring away. But something slithered over her wrist, jerking tight as she reflexively tugged. She stared at the green vine in surprise but quickly slid the sword from her belt to cut herself free. The vine withered as it fell away, and Youko laughed. She whirled to face him, the sharper edge of her blade facing him as she gripped it hard in both hands.

"You're despicable, fox," she spat, the anger glittering in her dark eyes as she let the fury gather.

"And you're utterly delightful," he purred, his eyes going down to her chest, which heaved in her anger.

"I _despise_ you," she snarled, furious with his mocking smile.

"And that makes me all the more determined, little one." His eyes glowed beneath the thick fall of his silver bangs, and he held out his palm, as if he would take her hand. Sango flinched to the right, where the door lay, but she was too late. His open fingers swiftly closed into a strange fist, and suddenly both of her elbows were caught in a snaking flurry of thick vines. The cool stems slithered over her lower arms to twine over her wrists even as she ineffectually tried to slice through them. She cried out, dropping her sword to the floor with a clatter as the pressure around her wrists tightened. Her bound hands were swiftly forced together and drawn up over her head. She tried to twist free as they dragged her back over the bed, but only ended up flat on her face. She braced her bent knees hard against the edge of the mattress, jerking back and flexing her thighs to halt the forward movement, but she felt a tickle at her sneakers. It was her only warning before more vines slithered around her ankles and pulled her legs apart.

The vines around her wrists tightened and jerked her forward. She fell to the bed with a muffled cry, and trembled at the helplessness of her prone position as claws lightly drew a path down the arch of her spine. She felt Youko's long hair brush her arm as he dipped his lips to kiss her softly on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, little one, but you were just not cooperating."

"Let me go!" Sango tried to keep the desperation and fear from her voice as she glared at him over her shoulder.

He gave her a thoughtful look, as if really thinking about it. He even propped his head on one hand and tapped a finger on his lips. His eyes suddenly darkened, and then he smirked.

"No."

"You bastard," she hissed, and summoned her jyaki to hurl it at him. She'd fry these damn vines right off her---she didn't care if she burned herself in the effort---and then she would kill him for this humiliation.

"You never learn, do you, little one?" His eyes glowed even more golden, and he traced a claw down her cheek. Sango's eyes bled and she growled. He chuckled, and negligently waved a hand. A cloud of pollen suddenly puffed around them as a small pod burst open, and Sango coughed, turning her head into her shoulder. She tried to shake the motes off of her as an overwhelmingly sweet aroma filled her nose. She stiffened, for suddenly she couldn't feel her jyaki, not at all, and she started trembling in real fear.

"Don't worry," Youko whispered, his claws running through her hair, pulling the ponytail tie from the thick length as he let the silky strands fall through his fingers. "It's still there, the pollen only hides it, temporarily dulling your sensitivity to energies."

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded, hating the light caress of his claws through her hair.

He only smiled. "You know so little about demons, taiji-ya, even for one who knows so much. At first it was jut a game, to see how far I could push you. But you _challenged_ me, a stronger male and animal spirit. You should know better than that, slayer."

Sango stilled, frightened by the silky mockery in his voice. Male youkai in general were dominant by nature, but none more so than the animal-oriented apparitions. For a lesser female to challenge one in a sexual situation was foolish, for it only sparked their more bestial natures. Ice curled down her spine, and she hated herself for the weakness as she whispered, "Don't do this."

"I'm sorry for the necessity," he strangely said, and his claws gently drew the overgrown, chin-length side-lock back behind her ear as she turned her head away in anger. His lips softly kissed her shoulder in what she thought was a mockery of apology, and her bound hands tightened into angry fists as she refused to give him the satisfaction.

He abruptly slipped from the bed, and she tilted her head, trying to track his movements as he stalked around the end and disappeared. He was suddenly behind her, his claws smoothing down her arched spine and over her raised backside as he pressed himself between her splayed thighs. She tried to move away, but he followed her.

"You've attained the proper position of submission so easily, taiji-ya," he lightly mocked as his claws cupped her bottom. "You have a delicious ass. I do like a good ass, on men and women." His claws suddenly pricked through the rough nap of her jeans, and she jumped. He chuckled, and swatted her playfully. Sango stiffened in mortification, and his hand smoothed over the offended spot with light circles.

"So responsive," he said, "it's almost a shame…"

A shame? Not for him, that was certain. She hated him then, hated him for what he did to her...

...she was surprised when he paused. But then closed her eyes, silently cursing him behind gritted teeth as a single claw delicately traced the ragged scar across her upper back. His fingers spread, mimicking the oddly star-shaped outline, and she turned her head into right shoulder, loathing the way he brushed it so delicately. He didn't say anything, thank god, for she couldn't stand pithy words of false sympathy, especially from _him. _

He finally slipped off of her, and for a moment, a weak part of her foolishly dared to hope---but no, she could hear the rustle and whisper as he swiftly divested himself of his clothing...

His dark whisper filled her head with distracting memories of Hiei doing that very thing to her, and she broke, then, a soft sob escaping. He kissed her right in the middle of her knotted shoulders...

"Please," she said again, and hated, loathed, herself for it...

And then the world went completely white, and the pleasure was so intense it was almost pain. But she wanted it, needed it, even as she flinched from the overwhelmingly raw sensations. She panted like a bitch in heat and sobbed her surrender as her body was wracked by pleasure so intense she couldn't keep hold of it even as she thrashed helplessly against the terrible finality of it.

...She fell limp, spent and aching, to the bed, the tears slowly seeping from her closed eyes as he whispered against her trembling flesh, "How your body sings for me, little one. You surrender so easily to my least touch. It must be terrible to know that you are only a pawn to my desires."

Sango sucked in her breath at the cold cruelty of his words. She tried to deny it, but couldn't, for she was left a shivering wreck in the wake of his terrible mastery.

"You cannot deny your hunger, taiji-ya, cannot deny that it's one you despise who can manipulate you like this," ... "and that you still desire it while hating it."

Hate him she did, for showing her in such stark cruelty that her body was only his plaything...

"Ah, your flesh quivers for me, you want this as much as I, Sango...You're trembling in horrified anticipation, knowing how right I am. You want me even as you hate me. That very unwillingness is my aphrodisiac."

"I hate you," she whispered...

...Youko seemed to understand her fear, but rather than alleviating it, he stoked it, ass hole that he was. His long, white hair tickled across her skin as he bent over her, his heated whisper in her ear making her brown eyes widen. "It's good you are quick to heal, taiji-ya, for there is one terrible truth about changelings such as yourself. Your body will always return to the exact state it was in when you first replaced your heart with a wind-demoness's. You're lucky to have no maidenhead, for it would always heal within the first full day after being sundered, and that might prove a bit inconvenient if you ever decided to take a mate."

She sucked in her breath, and he chuckled. "Ah, but while it might be unpleasant for you, it wouldn't for the male who can claim your virginity again and again. A considerate partner will take time to prepare you...But I am not that willing to wait, and knowing you will easily heal from any harsh attention makes it all the more sweet."

She trembled in real fear then, and he laughed, suddenly hugging her tight as she paled in anger at his terrible joke. "Oh, you really are so easily manipulated, little one. You should learn not to trust everything a demon says. One would think you would have learned that by now."

"Fuck you," she snarled, and tried to buck him off of her, her knees against the bed giving her a bit more leverage. But he just hugged her tighter, his teasing chuckles warm against her bare shoulder as he lightly kissed her there. "Ah, little one, I am only telling you this because it's best you be warned before a demon, overcome with lust for your delectable self, takes you quickly and roughly. Like a certain fire apparition, perhaps, whose passion sometimes burns too hot for caution."

She stiffened, hating him even more for the painful reminder of Hiei at such a time, and her eyes closed as the hot tears formed. She refused to let them fall, and gritted her teeth against the overwhelming pain of his memory. How different this was to _then_, and she couldn't stand the reminder, hated that Youko tainted the memory of it even as he tainted her body with his despised touch.

For he was leaning back, smoothing his fingers over her skin, murmuring almost to himself. "So tiny you are, but so ripe for the taking. And I do intend to take you, Sango, take you until it's my name you cry out on your reluctant lips."

"Never," she snarled, and he laughed then, the knowing mockery slipping over her...

...he tsked. "Now, now, little one, that wasn't what I wanted to hear."

"You're crazy," she said in shock... "Stop it!"

"Why?" he demanded arrogantly...his dark laughter making her seethe.

"Your body betrays you, little one. I think you crave what only a strong demon can give you. The darkness inside you understands the primitive desires of being so thoroughly dominated by someone strong enough to do so. You cannot help but give in to the primitive urges of your demon heart, who knows deep inside when it's claimed and conquered."

"Gods, I hate you," she grit out...

.

"That was the intention, little one," he mocked...

...She stilled in horror, and he sighed, his words soft. "I almost regret this, Sango."

She didn't know what he was talking about, and she only turned her head away, loathing him for the sudden gentleness...

"Relax, little one, it will be easier for you," he said, and she hated him for the tenderness in his voice...She heard him suck in his breath, and his hoarse whisper, "Gods, it's been too long."

...She felt the inexorable weight of him behind her, an indefinable feeling of knowing that he was taking her, fully and completely, and that he would pierce her very soul by the time he was done....

....

...But the vines were withdrawing, and he was turning her, the look in his golden eyes hooded and strange as he gently kissed her.

She trembled at the tenderness of it, his mouth soft now as a feather brushing across her lips. She was deeply shaken by the gentle way he chafed the feeling back into her wrists, kissing the pulse point of each in tender homage before gently turning her into his warmth as he nestled her back against his hard chest. She suddenly sneezed, for there was a fine dust in the air, how strange, but the thought quickly melted into the darkness as sleep finally overtook her. She couldn't believe how warm she felt, cradled so tightly in his arms as he completely curled himself around her, even his silver tail coming up to curl along her flank, tickling her belly as her bemused mind finally succumbed to exhaustion.

ooOOOoo

When she woke in the morning, he was gone. On the nightstand, there was a note. She reached for it with shaking fingers, somehow knowing what it would contain and suddenly dreading the emptiness that once again loomed before her.

The elegant characters blurred, two wet drops slowly expanding as the thin paper absorbed them. A loud rat-a-tappy-tat on the front door jerked her head up, and she swiped at her eyes with the back of one hand as she looked stupidly around for her clothes. The knocks grew louder, more impatient, as she yanked on her jeans and fumbled a shirt from Kurama's closet. Hurrying down the hall, she pulled the door open, eyes widening at the tall, red-haired man standing before her.

"J-Jin?"

"Lily?" he said, smile blinding in his delight. "Why, lass, aren't you but the sweetest sight for me sore eyes!"

Sango burst into tears.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews from the last two chapters. It made me eager to post the next one, and I can promise I have the next few written, and should be rolling them out soon. =)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_WORDS _

_ofuda - sacred sutra_

_Mukade - also known as "Mobile Fortress Mukade," the white centipede/insect tank Mukuro and Hiei ride in YYH Episode 104 "Every Demon for Himself" _

_**Chapter Thirty-Three**_

Quietly shutting the bedroom door, Jin shook his tousled red head as he crossed the hotel suite. The poor slayer finally slept with the help of a few Ambien he'd coaxed inside her, and he had to hurry or Touya would freeze his balls right off for being late---again. Dang, but that icy bastard knew just how to threaten a poor youkai.

Not that Jin had any desire whatsoever to attend another damn conference. There'd been enough of those yesterday to bore him right into next week. He'd thought when he'd taken the fox up on his offer that there'd be a bit more excitement---of the ass-kicking kind, mind---than _this_. But he couldn't ignore Kurama's hasty summons, even though a part of him was thinking he might like to indulge in a little bit of that ass-kicking, and with the fox as target.

Jin didn't know what the hell had happened between Anei and Kurama, but the fox's scent was all over the girl, and it didn't take an idiot to figure out what the two had gotten up to last night. Jin had been hoping for it, actually---that one of them, either the fox or that little boiling volcano, Hiei, would take their head out their arse long enough to finally go after the slayer. She deserved so much better than either of 'em, of course. But Jin had quickly realized when he'd first met their little rag-tag group in the Forest of Fools more than six months ago that that was the way the wind was blowing, and who was he to ever stand in its way? Much as he fancied the slayer himself, there was no help for it but to chivy it along a bit with some judicious assistance on his part.

Truth, he wasn't the strategist Touya was, and as usual, his best-laid plans went all a-pickle on him. Who'd have thought they'd awaken a giant boogie monster when he'd set up that little hide-and-peep game for Lily? Not that it wasn't a tale worthy enough to share among friends with a pint of Guinness at your knee. Ah, but that was always the way of it when Yusuke Urameshi was involved. By the saints, he missed the lad. The wee bastard sure had a way of stirring things up and getting things going when he was around…

Jin shook his head. Ah, his mind was blowing all over the place, and he didn't know if it was the lack of sleep, all the crazy going's on a'going on, or his nagging concern for poor Lily. He'd been that surprised to find her at Kurama's apartment in the city, and even more kerflummoxed when she'd all but thrown herself at him, sobbing like her heart been torn right out of her sweet chest.

Ah, but it had, and he knew it was the fox's doing. Damme, but he didn't know _why_, though. If he'd been a betting man---and he was, of course---than he'd lay his chips on Kurama being the one to get the girl…

Jin coughed, going slightly red. Well, he _had_ gotten the girl after all, hadn't he? For there was no mistaking _that_ scent, even for a demon whose nose wasn't as keen as a kitsune's. But stronger than the scent of sex was the scent of Lily's tears, and that broke his heart, it did, for the poor lass had been through enough already in her troubled life to not have that, too. Jin just didn't know _why---_why Kurama had broken her heart, and why it was she couldn't even speak of it, just sob all over him and then shut down into silence until he'd finally coaxed her to sleep, knowing that was all he could really do for her right now.

Jin just hoped it was all one big misunderstanding, that they were just having one of those wee lovers' spats, when your heart was too wrapped up for sense and you couldn't see nothing but the hot emotions afore ye. He'd give Kurama the benefit of the doubt, for that one was a deep one, his mind going a mile a minute even while he was standing there still. Therein might lie the problem, though, for Jin suspected the kitsune could sometimes get so wrapped up in all those complex thoughts of his that he all but tangled himself up in them. Maybe even got himself so twisted around he couldn't see what was right there in front of him. Missing the forest for all the trees, that was Kurama.

Not that there weren't a lot of trees right now. Lots of things a'going on, there was, enough to start a poor wind youkai's head to pounding. And speaking of trees…

Glimpsing the distinctive neon-blue mohawk of his friend Chuu over the other demons milling around the hotel lobby, Jin chuckled at the analogy. Aye, Chuu was a towering tree of a man, standing a good foot and a half above the rest of them. The guzzling Aussie had a mean right hook to match that hulking frame of his. Jin had felt it plenty of times in the last six months, when he and the others had trained under that witch, Genkai.

Priestesses were supposed to be all sweet and saintly, like that cute lass, Kagome---who'd come from time to time to work privately with the gnarled old hag. Now there was a sweet piece he wouldn't mind taking a bite of---nor any of the other lads, to be honest. Too bad the girl had a mutt-eared boyfriend with a bad attitude and big sword. One he knew how to use---for Genkai had often pitted them up with Inuyasha. The old priestess didn't see why they couldn't keep themselves busy sparring with the inu hanyou while she trained one-on-one with the young miko at Spirit World's---or Prince Koenma's, rather---request.

Fighting Inuyasha was at least better than being locked in that damn cave for a month. Or standing on spikes for that long week while he juggled Chuu on his shoulders, the poisonous scorpions just waiting for him to drop the drunk lug, or for the Aussie to drop yo-yo boy Rinku from off _his_ shoulders. Gah, but that wasn't half as bad as the snakes and things.

Jin shuddered. By all that's holy and not yet damned, he hated snakes. There was a reason dear St. Patty had chased them out of Ireland. They were nasty, loathsome things. Especially, Genkai's snakes. Slimy, vicious, sharp-toothed, poisonous little bastards. Gods, the last six months had been pure torture, but in the end, it had all been worth it for the increased power it gave him. Flexing a thickly-muscled arm, Jin grinned smugly. He'd be more than ready to take Yusuke on now!

Ah, now wasn't _that_ a sweet thought! He'd do anything for a chance to fight Yusuke again---even join that weird elitist, Yomi. Jin had been that surprised when Kurama had come asking his aid, but he was willing enough once Kurama had made it clear that he might get the chance to fight the former Spirit Detective, seeing as they'd be on different sides and all. But who in their right mind wouldn't want to fight in a world-wide brawl of epic proportions? Jin was a true warrior at heart, as they all were. Even Touya, who'd finally found his true calling, thanks to that smart-mouthed ex-detective-turned-born-again-demon.

Ah, but they all had reasons to be grateful to Urameshi. Ever since the Dark Tournament, they'd all been a bit lost, wandering around wondering what it was they would do any more. He and Touya had finally broken ties with the Guardians, something they should have done a long time ago. Right on the heels of that, the fox had come inviting them to train under Yusuke's old teacher, and then offered the chance to scrap with the boy. It was an opportunity sent straight from Heaven above!

"Jin!" Rinku suddenly bounced out of the crowd, his boyish face wreathed in welcome.

"Hello there, lad." Jin gave the boy an absent pat on the head, blue eyes on Touya, who frowned at him. Picking himself off the wall he'd been leaning against, the ice apparition casually made his way to the wind youkai's side as the others followed in a ragged line.

"And where have you been?" Touya quietly demanded as he fell in step beside Jin as they all turned as one and headed towards the hotel's glass doors. Rinku and Chuu fell to arguing as Suzuka egged them on and snobby Shishi ignored them as beneath his dignity.

"Ah, well," Jin hedged. Scratching the back of his unruly head, his blue eyes slid past the eagle-sharp gaze of his shorter friend. He flushed uncomfortably, and chuckling, Chuu fetched him one on the shoulder that made the wind-user stagger out into the street.

"Aw, Touya, leave 'im alone. Poor bloke looks like he's about to burst. It's right obvious he's been with a girl." The grizzled rascal winked. Throwing a heavy arm around the wind youkai's shoulders, Chuu demanded, "Now, Jin, give it right up. Who is she? What's her name? She pretty? Or was it just the beer-goggles?"

"Beer-goggles," Rinku voted, quickly escaping when the huge Aussie turned around and glared.

"Lookie here, bledger, that ain't something you should know a thing about!"

Rolling his eyes, the short youkai stuck his tongue out at his impromptu-guardian. Chuu did try to father the boy, when he remembered to.

"Care to tell me about her?" Touya invited with a raised brow as the others moved ahead of them. Jin shrugged.

"Ah, you know, lad. I've fair talked your ear off about her enough already…"

Touya gave him a surprised look. "The wind changling? She's here?"

"Aye." Crossing his arms over the back of his head, Jin looked up at the fuschia sky. The day was clear, the clouds fat, purple cotton-balls. The air was clean after last night's rowdy storms, and Jin took a deep breath of it. Funny, but it was not even noon yet. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. First, returning to Demon World and being formally presented to Gandara's king. Then the whole boring meeting-after-meeting yawn of yesterday, than the party last night in Chuu's suite. Then to bed to catch a few winks to rise at dawn and go see if Kurama was up and about since he was bored and no one else was recovered yet from all the booze they'd imbibed. Then Lily and all that mess. Gosh knew there was enough to keep his mind a'muddle without this news that King Raizen might really be dead.

"And…?" Touya prompted, and Jin frowned.

"And I dunno." Wrinkling his nose, Jin quietly relayed how he'd spent the morning and that the girl lay sleeping it off in his hotel room as they slowly walked to the king's house in the center of the city.

Touya looked thoughtful. Hoping for some insight, for he trusted the ice apparition's opinion more than anyone's, Jin nudged him. "Well? What is it ya think?"

"I think you should speak with Kurama, find out his side and see what happened before you jump to any conclusions," Touya said firmly, and Jin nodded.

"Aye, that be me own thought upon it," he agreed, but felt better for Touya's support. No one he knew---save maybe Kurama---was more intelligent than the icy-eyed elemental.

"Hey, you slowpokes, hurry it up, will ya?" Chuu shouted from the gate, where the others waited impatiently for them to catch up. "Don't want to keep Kurama waiting, do we?"

"Right," Jin said, leaping into the air to fly through the open gate and snag Kurama for a word or two before the rest of them showed up to spoil it. Intent on his goal, the wind apparition ignored the startled shrieks and angry shouts he left in his wake as he zoomed past, the fierce wind of his passage ruffling more than just tempers. Ah, but that was normally the way of it, and he hardly paid the uproar any mind as he finally spotted the fox just emerging from one of the screens to step outside on the wrap-around porch.

Jin scooted down the porch to come to a complete stop mere inches from the cool fox, who was unperturbed by the abrupt appearance. Unflappable as always, the redhead nodded politely. "Good morning, Jin. I'm glad you came so quickly; there is much we need to discuss before our meeting convenes. Are the others with you?"

"Aye, they are," Jin nodded his head back behind him, "but there be a thing or two you and I should yet discuss, Kurama, afore the others arrive."

"Oh?" A thin brow rose in polite inquiry, but the fox was suddenly tense, his look wary.

Jin scratched his chin, eying the fox with a narrowed gaze. Never one to beat around the bush, he blurted, "What be it that happened 'tween you and Lily last night, eh?"

Kurama abruptly turned away, his hands curling at his sides. His red head bowed and he asked quietly, his throat tight, "Where is she? Did you see her? Is she…okay?"

"She'll do, for now," Jin said solemnly, disliking the strain in the fox's low voice. "She's in me suite, sound asleep. Though whatever you did had her crying her very eyes out this morning. Now, will you be telling me what is that happened, or are you going to force me to beat it out of ye?"

"Perhaps that would be just," Kurama said, staring unseeing at the beautiful green gardens before them. A playful wind rippled the waters of the fountain, teasing the red locks of the fox's long hair and wrinkling the purple over-robe against the lilac under.

"What happened, lad?" Jin put a hand on the kitsune's shoulder, his voice gentle for the tension fairly seething off the red-haired hanyou.

"What had to," Kurama said tightly, his green eyes flicking up to meet the wind youkai's. There was such stark pain in the rich green depths that it fair took Jin's breath away. Whatever had happened between the two of them, Lily wasn't the only one whose heart had broken.

"Kurama---" Jin said, but the others had arrived, and he wasn't able to say anything more. And then the tense conversation was all but forgotten in the crazy shock of Kurama's news, for Yusuke was coming! Here, to Gandara! To meet with Yomi, and in less than an hour!

Jin could hardly contain his excitement, and the others were just as giddy, though some of the lads managed to hide it better. So, it was true that King Raizen had finally croaked, and the nervous rumors that Mukuro's forces were already on the move were accurate. That seemed to worry Kurama and Touya, but Jin was too delighted with the fact that Yusuke was on his way _here_. Though Yomi's orders put a little bit of a damper on it, since the king wanted them to wait in the next room, and if he gave the signal, attack the poor detective and kill him. But that little wrinkle didn't bother Jin's glee too much, and Kurama was optimistic that it might not come to that.

It was hard waiting for Urameshi's arrival, even in the luxurious room the servant had shown them. But there was no mistaking that spiritually-enhanced demonic aura, or the dour S-class competency of Hokushin, who Jin had barely met before leaving the Forest of Fools. Propping an eyeball right to the crack of the door, Jin watched as the lad took a seat, Hokushin kneeling slightly behind and to the right. By the saints, the lad looked good, and hadn't changed at all! Jin grinned in fierce delight, watching as Yomi took a formal seat across from the boy and one of the king's pretty little concubines---Amaya, he thought her name was---offered the former detective a cup of tea.

Turning around, Jin held up his hastily scratched note. They couldn't speak out loud, lest they be overheard, but Kurama had thoughtfully supplied them with pen and paper so they could spell out their thoughts. It was quite effective, for they managed to convey their unanimous decision to back Yusuke when Kurama asked if it came down to it, which side would they be on? Of course, Shishi had to be persuaded a bit with Suzuka's gleeful interference, but Jin knew at heart that the handsome imp was on Yusuke's side as much as the rest of them.

What then followed was one of the most awesome, kick ass ideas Yusuke had ever fucking had, and Jin knew they'd been right to decide to side with the Mazoku over Yomi. It'd been tense there for a while, as the two kings traded words back and forth, and Yusuke's blunt claim that he would tell Yomi exactly how he intended to rip him off of his throne made the king start powering up. They all wordlessly tensed, wondering if the brash detective had finally gone too far, for the blind king was fairly seething with youkai rage. Jin wondered what Mukuro and Hiei thought of it, for he could feel the ominous aura of Makai's third ruler somewhere in the city, watching from above. This might be a war on two fronts…

But Yusuke, bless his innovative human heart, surprised them all by proposing a solution that would stop war from tearing Makai apart. And brilliant lad that he was, he knew just how to feed on every demon's ambition and pride, by pitting them all against each other in a single tournament that would decide, for once and for all, who would rule them all. And in the most democratically demonic way possible, with fists! Each demon representing only himself, using just his own power and strength to strive for the ultimate prize of ruling Demon World---for a time, at least, until the next tournament, when they would do it all over again.

Pure elation erupted inside of Jin, and he couldn't contain it, bursting right through the doors to volunteer to be the first one to sign up as Yomi showed skepticism for the idea. The others were right behind him, and grabbing Yusuke in a bear hug, Jin greeted his old friend with a loud whoop of welcome. Yomi was only convinced once Kurama told him firmly that he was now on his own side, though the king frowned fiercely at the betrayal. But the king finally had to capitulate---albeit grudgingly---when Mukuro's gravelly voice echoed across all of their minds, readily agreeing to Yusuke's terms. The tyrannical king was laying down his lands and titles, and would fight on his own like any other apparition, representing only himself in the Great Tournament.

Jin raised a fist in triumph. Leave it to Yusuke to turn all of Demon World right on its head! In one stroke, the boy had managed to dismantle the regimes that had ruled for centuries, and gods above and below, it was a glorious time to be alive! There was no knowing what was in store, and best of all, Jin would get the chance to fight the detective again, and maybe, just maybe, win this time! And by all the holy saints in Eire, with luck, win Demon World as well! The sky was the limit!

ooOOOoo

Night had fallen by the time the Spirit Detective finally left Gandara. Arms crossed, Hiei waited impatiently for the boy and his bald-headed nursemaid, Hokushin, to arrive. Mukuro had insisted they wait for the pair just outside the city, for the king---or former king, now---felt the need to make some token gesture on Raizen's passing. The sappy sentimentality of it made Hiei sneer, for why would Mukuro want to make such a gesture to one she had despised? But then, the demoness's motives often baffled the fire apparition, as his did her. Strange how they could silently understand each other so well without really understanding each other at all.

It _was_ good to see the detective again. Hiei smirked. The boy had finally come into his true heritage. The Mazoku was fully awakened, as his incredible aura gave mute testament to. Yusuke was stronger than ever before, and Hiei relished the opportunity of testing his own increased power against his friend's. As he had so off-handedly put it to Mukuro, Hiei was more than willing to fight whoever won if it came down to a battle between the two of them.

His red eyes flicked over to the bandage-wrapped demoness as she held out flowers to the Mazoku, bidding Yusuke lay them at Raizen's grave to honor the king who died a fool. Yusuke accepted them gravely, his piercing brown eyes trying to penetrate the ofuda wrapped around the woman's head. Not that he could see beneath the outer shields the powerful demoness always kept up in public. Hiei scoffed at her need for it, even while understanding why she did. It was unheard of for a female youkai to hold so much power over others, and it would shame the traditions Mukuro had always championed. Perhaps it was time those outmoded ideas be abandoned with the old regimes…

But it was more than just that. For the former king, her very womanhood had always been her greatest weakness. She'd despised her body so much that she had poured acid on herself to escape the lascivious attentions of her slave-master before finally running away into a freedom that was as binding in its insidious way as the manacle still locked tight to her left wrist. That manacle forever reminded the king of her past, locking her into it for untold centuries as her bitterness and rage over her slavery consumed her spirit in hatred as dark as his own. She had used that hatred, as Hiei had used his, to empower herself, turning bitter weakness into bitter strength, fueling her lust for killing all who opposed her with her own unrelenting darkness.

It was only in the last few years, when a bauble Hiei thought lost forever had been found and given as tribute to the king that Mukuro had made some peace with the darkness inside herself. Hiei now wore that bauble around his neck, given back to him by the scarred woman standing at his side. The bauble was the very hiruseki stone he'd thought lost forever---the tear-gem his mother had shed at his birth, and the only thing he had ever had from her but pain.

Hiruseki stones were rare and precious, for they were valued not only for their beauty, but for the serenity they exuded and gave their bearer. Hiei could not explain, even to himself, the divided feelings he had over the stone's return, as he could not explain the divided feelings he had regarding the one who had returned it to him.

Mukuro. She was, and was not, a very reflection of himself. Like him, she had been forged from darkness, and like him, she understood and used it to her own advantage. She was the one person on the face of the demon earth who knew _everything_ about him, as Hiei now knew everything about her. In the darkness when he had felt his soul slipping away after the final confrontation with that damn surgeon, Shigure, she had touched his consciousness with her own, sharing with him her own pain even as her submersion tanks had fixed his severed arm as good as new.

Such exposure to another was intolerable, but as she had bared her own inner darkness to him as well, Hiei could not fault the fairness of it. And there was a peace inside him---either by the hiruseki's influence, or by his own life coming full circle---that he had not had in years. But a peace Mukuro could not quite understand, for he was resigned now to the true emptiness of his existence. There was naught to welcome but death now, though she challenged him that there was more than that, that there still lay---between them, especially---more yet to know.

It was that idle curiosity that kept his anger at bay, that he had not died as he sought under Shigure's lethal ring-sword. As the surgeon had called it, just before his head toppled from Hiei's blow, it would have been a noble end, two fighters dying together in battle. But Mukuro had interfered with the surgeon, too, reviving his corpse with her submersion tanks. Hiei wondered idly if the proud warrior felt as bitter as he by the king's deliberate intervention.

For as much as the king rebuked the idea, what, really, was there left to live for? The purpose that had driven him was as ashes as that which had once driven the taiji-ya. Hiei had found his sister, and knew she would be well and happy, even with that idiot Kuwabara, who loved Yukina like he could never, for it was so completely unselfish and all-consuming. With the aid of the Jagan that Shigure had implanted inside his body, he'd been able to locate his mother's village, but in the end there had been nothing there for him, either. The last quest he might claim was finding the stone he now wore around his neck, and the peace was not what he had expected, for it just calmed him into the inevitable truth that there was nothing else left to live for.

Mukuro claimed there was. She claimed there was yet another emotion that he had never known and never cared to know. Hiei sneered, for the female was at heart as sentimentally foolish as any other woman. Love. What was that to him but something forever denied? _She_ claimed she would show him, that by piercing the darkest part of him she would prove in the end that he was capable of an emotion he knew damn well he wasn't. For look how easily he had turned his back on Sango, even after what they'd shared, leaving her alone in her darkness and betraying her as he had betrayed all others, forsaking her as he had always forsaken everyone. The guilt of that---when he had never felt guilt before---was even more unendurable than the agonized longing he had for her in the darkest, bloodiest hours locked inside Mukuro's dungeons fighting for his life over the last six months.

It was just lust. He _knew_ that, but the tiniest part of him scoffed at the truth of it, believing there was more there than he gave it. Hiei needed to purge himself of that nagging doubt, lay to rest the self-question he had never, ever, indulged in before meeting the slayer. That fierce need consumed him, blinding him to even the three demons standing before him. Hiei realized with a start that the detective was no longer there, had faded into the misty shadows while he stood there like a statue, so consumed with his own thoughts that he had all but forgotten just where he was or anything that was happening around him.

Mukuro watched him, that bulging blue eye seeing too much and not enough. With an abrupt gesture, Hiei dismissed the demoness's probing gaze, turning his back on it to face the city whose gleaming lights pierced the fog-enshrouded darkness like twinkling yellow stars.

"There's something I have to do," he said shortly, for he owed the king some explanation, even just a token one. "I'll meet you back at the Mukade."

"Will you?" she asked, her mild tone deceptive. She lent hidden meanings to everything she said---it was irritating as hell.

"Yes," he said with sharp finality, and she nodded.

"So be it. Though, do not tarry, Hiei. There is much we need to do before the tournament. Dismantling a kingdom I have ruled for centuries will not be as easy as the detective suggests, and we could both use more training to get us ready." The blue glinted. "I am looking forward to the chance to fight you, demon."

"As am I," Hiei allowed, and disappeared.

ooOOOoo

Perhaps it was the turmoil of the news breaking over Gandara that Yomi no longer ruled it, but Hiei's presence went unnoticed as he returned to the city. The fear of the city's populace was pervasive and repugnant. Sneering at the lesser youkai who trembled at the very idea that they were no longer protected by their devious tyrant and wondered what the future now held, Hiei ignored the annoying babble of their excited thoughts to focus on the one he wanted.

It was hard pinning down the slayer's evasive thoughts, even though he knew them well. She wandered, perhaps in dreams, and her thought-energies were dim. It took quite a while for him to finally locate her. The night had waned, the hour far past midnight, but the city was still restless with the news spreading like wild fire that the kings had abdicated their power in favor of a chancy proposal by Raizen's half-human heir. Disgusted by the equal reactions of fear and greedy speculation, Hiei finally deactivated his Jagan, the glow dying from his third eye as he opened his own.

He leapt from the metal alcove he had hidden himself while he searched, barely touching the next building's edifice before leaping again, his flickering movements so fast they could barely be followed by even the strongest demons. He had nothing to fear from any who might watch---the most powerful were too wrapped in their own concerns. Even Yomi, deep in the warren beneath his metal city, was contemplating how he might use his unborn son to further his own ambitions. Hiei thought idly of warning Mukuro of the possibility, but the threat didn't seem that great, for a babe not even born yet…

The others who might challenge him---Chuu, Jin, the other four youkai who had attended the conference and who had shown remarkable increases in jyaki---they were busy getting drunk off their asses in celebration. Kurama, too, was busy getting drunk, alone in his rooms on Yomi's quiet estate. That bothered Hiei, that the fox who rarely indulged was all but passed out over the empty bottle beside him. But he didn't have time right now to investigate, for he had caught sight of Sango's aura through the skeletal walls of the luxury hotel she was staying in.

Landing on the window sill outside her room with barely a whisper of sound to betray him, Hiei hesitated, one hand on the latch. For a long second, he paused, wondering at the nervous rush of strange emotions that hit him---guilt, anticipation, hunger, fear. Then, disgusted by emotions he so thoroughly despised, his fingers tightened on the latch and he yanked it open.

The chill wind this high up blew with him through the window, stirring the short white and black hairs across his forehead. He snicked the window shut, lest the chill breeze wake her. For she slept, deeply, her breaths even and quiet and as loud as his heartbeat in the silence as he crossed over the room to stare down at her.

She was even more beautiful than he remembered. So achingly soft in her vulnerability, for she lay curled on her side, her ebon locks a black tangle around her sleep-relaxed face. The night could not hide the creamy glow of her skin to him, or the sooty feathers of her lashes, the swollen lips that pouted slightly in sleep. Her upswept brows, delicate as a swallow's raised wing, were drawn down, as if her dreams were troubled, and the silence was deafening as he abruptly realized she wasn't snoring, even as lightly as she had always done.

He couldn't help himself. Drawn as if by a magnet, he reached out to faintly trace the fine line of her cheek, light as a butterfly's kiss lest he awaken her. He froze, feeling the wetness on his calloused fingertips, and sharply sucked in his breath as her mingled scent washed over him. The reminder of her arousal was so powerful he hardened in seconds, his breath growing short. But it was not only her scent that filled his senses, but Kurama's, and the emotions that washed over him were so powerful he all but snatched his hand back as if burned.

Abruptly turning around, he was back at the window in an instant, red eyes smoldering as he shoved it open and took to the wraith-wrapped sky, the city fading into the curling fog as he quickly left it behind him.

He did not look back.


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: This was fun to write, and I couldn't wait to post it up. Thank you again for all the reviews, they really keep me at the computer way past my bedtime. ^_^_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Thirty-Four**_

Awaking groggy in a strange bed, Sango lurched to the bathroom and fumbled into the shower, hoping the warm lash of the spray would help wake her up. She felt bruised and battered, but it was just a pseudo-sensation, for her body had already healed from whatever marks had been left by Youko's attentions. The fact it had disturbed her, for she wondered how long she'd been asleep.

By the light edging through the open window, she must have slept the day away. It was late morning, and she knew she had slept more than just an hour. She shivered, the water dripping from her cold now that she'd turned the spray off. Wrapping a towel about herself, Sango stumbled to the sink. Bracing her palms flat on the counter, she suddenly looked up at the mirror. The cloudy reflection slowly dissipated to reveal wet, bedraggled hair dragging around a pinched face and dark circles under eyes too wide with pain, tears forming even as she stared in bewilderment.

This couldn't be her. This couldn't be what she'd become. Why, _that_ girl looked lost and tired, too weary to go on. _*How sad,* _she thought, somehow separate from the girl staring back at her in the mirror. She glanced down at her hands, which were clenched so tight to the counter the knuckles were white, and suddenly, abruptly, jerked her head back up to glare at the girl in the mirror. Her eyes flashed as anger rose to dry the tears in her eyes and cleanse the despairing heartache from her soul in sudden fury.

_"Enough!" _she snarled at the mirror like a crazy person. She shook her fist at the girl, who looked defiant now, her dark eyes bleeding with her growing ire. She was tired of the despair, tired of the heartache. Tired of all the fucking self-doubt and question and numb stupidity. She was a _taiji-ya, _damn it, not some pathetic waif lost in her own sniveling self-pity. She wanted---no, _deserved!_---better of herself, and she'd been so lost in her own misery she'd almost lost her _self_ to it.

Jaw clenching, Sango whipped the towel off her body and stalked back to the bedroom to yank on her jeans and pull Kurama's wrinkled blue t-shirt over her head. She growled as her long, wet hair got in the way, and suddenly froze, an idea crystallizing in the fuming turmoil of her seething mind. If she wanted a change, than _this_ was the perfect opportunity to show she was ready to cut all ties to the past and show she was finally free of it!

Elation filled her, and almost giddy with the sudden rush of excitement and purpose, Sango stumbled into her shoes, hopping on one foot in her anxiousness as she pulled the second sneaker on. Pushing the wet tangles impatiently back over her shoulders, she left Jin's suite with a grim smile of pure determination.

It took forever for the elevator to reach the lobby, but Sango blessed whatever gods had been looking out for her that she was here,at the expensive hotel, which had all the amenities a girl could wish---including a spa right off the main floor. Making a beeline straight for it, she marched right up to the counter, where a bored teenager with green skin and three overly-mascaraed eyes under her curling horns asked lazily, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," Sango said, dark eyes resolute. "I would like a hair cut."

_"Really?" _A purple octopus with a violently neon-pink bouffant popped around the potted ferns, eyes wide with delight. Her lipstick matched her towering hair, and she raised two tentacles, comb and scissors held up like weapons. She snipped the scissors with relish as she said, "Well, well, m'dear, come on back! I don't suppose you want a shampoo, hmmm, since your hair's already wet. Oh, my, but there certainly is a lot of it, isn't there!"

A third tentacle gently nudged her shoulder, and Sango went, amused as the youkai urged her into a chair, sweeping a cape over her before she could go and change her mind. The beautician cooed and tittered over her, tentacles pulling and parting her long, black hair this way and that as she gently combed the thick length. Sango submitted to the demon's ministrations, somewhat overwhelmed by the youkai's sheer personality.

"Oh, my, but you do have lovely hair, m'dear. What's your name? I'm Mya. _Mrs_. Mya, actually. It would be so rude to call you "m'dear" or "young lady," though you are. Young, m'dear. At least, when compared to me. Why, I know you wouldn't think to look at me, but I just passed my eigth century. Isn't that terrible? How time does fly! Now, m'dear, do you just want me to trim it up some? You've gone and let your bangs grow out too long. Why, they're all in your eyes, and your side locks are right down to your chin! And do you like this part in the center? It's not really your natural part, you know. You have a little cowlick _here_," and a tentacle lightly touched her left temple, "and I daresay I can coax it into a side part. Those are so stylish right now, you know…"

"I want something new, different," Sango said, determined. "Something short."

"Short?" The octopus blinked. She picked up the heavy, waist-length hair with a doubtful frown. "Are you sure, m'dear? It must have taken forever to grow this out, and it really is lovely, all silky and smooth. No split ends, healthy roots…"

"I've had it forever," Sango replied grimly, and the octopus slowly nodded, a knowing grin forming as she winked at Sango in the mirror over her head.

"Ah, I understand _completely_, dear! Time for a change, hmm?"

"Yes," Sango said, eyes opaque.

The octopus chuckled. "And what better way than for a girl to get a cute new haircut?"

ooOOOoo

Mya---or _Mrs_. Mya, as the octopus kept reminding her---insisted on doing the whole shebang: cut, blow and style. Sango submitted with mystified wonder as the eight-armed demon blithely nattered on, amicably gossiping with the other stylists and patrons as the salon slowly filled. Sango listened quietly, her head pulled this way and that as the heavy length of her hair fell away. Her neck felt exposed without the weight of her hair behind it, but she felt lighter, somehow, as if a heavy burden had been removed.

There was a tense excitement to the chatter, as the women tried to talk over one another. Catching a few phrases, Sango stiffened, and Mrs. Mya scolded her, reminding her to stay still and please bend your head forward, thank you, m'dear, that's it. Now, hold that position and stay _still!_

So, head bent, Sango listened in stunned amazement as the news slowly washed over her that while she lay sleeping the last twenty-four hours away, Demon World had been tossed right on its head. Raizen dead, Mukuro and Yomi abdicated, their armies and kingdoms dissolved in one fell swoop by _Yusuke_. Yusuke---gods, only he could have been crazy enough to propose a world-wide demon tournament to decide the next ruler of Makai. It was so simple and elegant a solution, but fraught with potential problems. For what would happen if, say, some rabid maniac like that giant beast they'd fought in the Forest of Fools were to win? But that possibility seemed remote, for the youkai around her seemed to think only two demons---Mukuro and Yomi---would be strong enough contenders in the end. And, of course, since this was his city, the women favored the blind demon over the tyrant, although they mentioned Mukuro's formidable ability to cut across dimensions with one wave of his---her, really, though no one knew _that_ fact---hand.

What would this mean to Kurama? To Hiei? The uneasy thought penetrated her distraction, and then Sango clenched her teeth. Both demons had made it perfectly clear to her that they neither wanted, nor needed, _her_ concern. So it _wasn't_.

Mrs. Mya wielded the hair dryer now, and the babble faded as the hot air hummed loudly in Sango's ears. It wasn't until the purple octopus stood in front of her, combing her hair back and fussing too much over it that Sango could hear again. A distinct tenor now threaded the excited soprano voices around her.It was somehow familiar, and Sango's brow knitted trying to remember where she'd heard that voice before.

"Oh, just a minute more, dear, I'm almost done!" Mrs. Mya reassured her, mistaking her expression. The octopus moved back around, and Sango finally saw the youkai---Lord Tenga, who had discarded his plethora of rings so that the manicurist could work on his smooth hands. The elegant youkai suddenly looked up, and caught her surprise. He smiled.

"Lady Sango! What an unexpected pleaure." He seemed sincere, his smile warm as he waved his free hand in greeting. Heads turned, and Sango found herself confronted by a bevy of curiosity. She blushed.

"Hello, my lord." She would have bowed, but Mrs. Mya was tucking a piece of hair back behind her ear. It tickled, and Sango glanced up in distraction. Her bangs now fell completely across her forehead in a strange way.

"Will you fight in the tournament, my lord?" one of the other women asked, and the attention turned from Sango as the lord smiled impishly.

"Me? No." He chuckled. "It is well known, ladies, that I am a lover, not a fighter."

There was a ripple of giggles and several knowing grins as the handsome lord finally stood up, his manicure done. Taking the time to draw on his rings and nod at the result, he casually strode over to stand in front of Sango. She looked up, and he studied her with a critical eye, his smile growing as he pronounced, "Quite fetching. You've outdone yourself, Mya-san."

The octopus tittered, blushing girlishly at the compliment from so august a lord. "Well, I do _try_," she simpered, "Though even I have to admit I'm quite proud of the result."

Now anxious to see that result, Sango squirmed to look over her shoulder. The octopus neatly spun the chair about to face the mirror, whipping the cape off and fondly brushing stray hairs from a shoulder with one tentacle while patting the other reassuringly.

Sango stared, surprised and pleased by the reflection. Her hair was layered to the chin, where it curled outwards to soften the severity of the short style. Her bangs now feathered across her forehead in shaggy disarray with no discernable part. Her side locks, which had grown so long, still curled in front of her ears, the rest tucked behind. She ran a wondering hand through the short strands, stunned by the lighter feel and almost giddy with the difference. She didn't even know herself, and it made her wonder what else she could find out, so ready now to learn who she was.

"You're a new woman, m'dear," Mrs. Mya fervently assured her, and Sango _felt_ it.

"Well, would this new woman care to take a cup of tea with this old man?" Lord Tenga asked, a twinkle in his warm eyes as the women around him decried his age. Sango laughed, feeling the release of a tension she had not known she'd held for so long, and stood up. Normally his invitation wasn't something she would even consider, but she decided to throw off her old inhibitions, and accepted with a shy smile.

"I'd like that, thank you."

Lord Tenga smoothly slipped some money into the octopus's free tentacle. Sango started to protest, but he only winked and offered his arm with a gallant bow. "Please, allow a gentleman to _be_ a gentleman."

Bemused, she nodded as the women cooed around her, although they all knew full well that Lord Tenga had no interest in women _that_ way. The reminder reassured Sango, and she accepted the elegant man's arm. Why the hell not? He was just being nice, and she really did like the kind sincerity in his pink eyes. He smiled, and they walked out of the salon together, strolling across the lobby to the posh restaurant on the other side.

It was too late for the morning rush and too early for the lunch, so they had the place pretty much to themselves. Tenga held a chair out for her, and bemused again by his courtly ways, which were so much a part of him, Sango sat down. He asked if she minded if he ordered, and she shook her head. The waiter soon returned with two cups and a steaming pot, pouring and bowing before leaving them alone.

Delighted with the spicy, orange-flavored tea, Sango took a long sip. Lord Tenga relaxed in the couch of their circular booth, and smiled benignly at her nod of approval. She wondered why he had asked her to join him_**, **_but perhaps it was just to talk about the changes in Demon World, for he commented, "Interesting, is it not? All the drastic changes? To be honest, I never would have thought Yomi would agree to it."

He waved a negligent hand. The sprinkle of jewels across his long fingers flashed. "Ah, but I am not as personally worried as poor Aten. He's near green with anxiety. Poor man. He doesn't like change---upsets his ulcer. I think," he leaned forward conspiratorially, hand cupped over his mouth as he whispered, "he's a bit stuffy."

Sango laughed, for that was her estimate of the catfish demon precisely. She relaxed as Lord Tenga continued to chatter on about the court, the city, and the speculations as to what Yomi would do. He had a wicked sense of humor, and thoroughly devastated the reputations of his fellow advisors as he related various anecdotes regarding them. He was negligently unconcerned about the whole tournament, since he personally had no intention in taking part. The day to day governing of Gandara would not change, though it would take time to convince the frightened citizens of that. He and Lord Aten had already agreed to form an interim government with the city mayor---at least until the tournament, when it would be up to the new king of Makai to decide how the city-state should be run.

"I expect your friend Kurama will be kept quite busy, since he has already volunteered to help with the transition," Tenga said, pretending to study his nails but watching her intently beneath lowered lids.

Sango stiffened, and abruptly set her cup down with a clink.

Dropping his negligent air, Lord Tenga leaned forward with his elbows on the table, chin propped on his folded hands. "Ah, so this," he waved at her hair, "has something to do with the kitsune?"

Startled, Sango unconsciously feathered a hand through her shorn locks. "What do you mean?"

Tenga smiled, revealing the sharp tips of his fangs. "Well, a girl just doesn't go out and get her hair done without a _damn_ good reason. And usually that reason involves a man."

Sango blinked.

The demon laughed, a tinkling melody of sound. "You really are a delight, Sango-sama. Your honesty is so refreshing!"

Sango flinched at the reminder of Youko's acidic comment.

Lord Tenga suddenly dropped his amusement, staring at her intently. "That hurt you. I'm sorry---I did not mean it to."

Taken aback by the sincerity in his voice, not to mention smarting under his devastating insight, Sango shrugged. She felt out of her depth. This youkai had a skill with words she lacked, and she didn't understand his true motives. Suddenly suspicious, she demanded, "Why do you care?"

"I like you," he said candidly, "and I have a great deal of respect for the kitsune."

She stared at him, again surprised by his sincerity. She could feel the genuine honesty emanating from his aura, which was a mixture of lavendar and blue---soft, soothing colors with a sprinkle of gold here and there, like tiny blinking fireflies. She blinked, caught off guard by how easily she'd engaged her astral senses to examine his motives, and he smiled.

"You are learning quickly," he commented, startling Sango. He went on to explain offhandedly, "Oh, Yuda has kept me apprised of your progress under old Sen. He's a dear friend, although I must admit his current penchant for stinky rodents has kept me from visiting the shop too often. Do you know how long it takes to get eau-de-skunk out of good silk?"

Sango burst out laughing, just imagining how Skunk must have reacted to the elegant, perfumed lord. It was no secret the little black-and-white demon---who Master Sen had taken in after he blithely showed up for breakfast one morning---could be quite haughty, and didn't take too well to outsiders. He was more like a cat in that way than a skunk. It was also true that while he worshipped Master Sen and tolerated Yuda and Guchi for the mole's sake, he strangely liked Sango. He often followed her around the shop, occasionally letting her pick him up for a quick cuddle or scratch. He was not what one would ever consider affectionate, and while he might be the same size as Kirara, with eyes just as red and a striped tail just as bushy, he was not nearly as tolerant or sweet. Rather stand-offish and irritable, was Skunk. And since he had the distinct ability to spray anyone he disliked with such a foul odor---a demon skunk's spray being that more potent and nastier than his living world cousin's---he had little to ever fear, from anyone.

"There, now that I've established my credentials," Tenga gave her a wry look, "I hope you don't mind an old man sticking his oar in and giving you a word of advice."

Mirth dying, Sango drew back, dark eyes wary.

"My, you really are chary, aren't you?" Tenga sighed. "Really, I would like to think we could be friends, you and I. Why, you have such good taste in men. And by that, I mean the foxy Kurama." The demon lord suddenly looked wicked. "He really is scrumptious, isn't he?"

Sango stirred uncomfortably. She wasn't used to such blatant audacity, especially from someone so completely unabashed as Lord Tenga. He chuckled at her expression, saying lightly, "I was just teasing you, lady. Forgive me."

She shrugged, and Tenga abruptly changed tactics, growing serious once again. "The truth is, my lady, I don't think you know as much about demons as you think you do. Especially male demons of the arrogant, sexy kind."

Again haunted by the words Youko had said to her, Sango flushed. She was a little more sharp than she'd intended when she said, "I think I know enough."

"No, you don't," Tenga said gently. "Perhaps as a taiji-ya---"

She gave him a sharp look, and he shrugged. "Your history is not unknown to me. You think a beautiful woman, whose past is a complete mystery, wouldn't spark some curiosity? Especially when she comes on the arm of a reborn kitsune thief not seen in Makai in several centuries, one whose legendary reputation as a bandit named Youko is only surpassed by the name he made for himself during the Dark Tournament?" He smiled, his fangs appearing. "You really are naïve, child, of the intricacy of Demon World politics. It's sweet, but that innocence can be dangerous. Especially for a changeling who has just lately accepted her dual heritage."

Sango straightened. "You're not just the king's advisor, are you?"

Tenga smiled lazily. "I've always been a curious fellow, and always had a penchant for ferreting out odd bits of information. The king just found a way to put my considerable talents to good use."

"You're the king's Spy Master, aren't you?" Sango demanded, and Tenga shrugged.

"You might call it that, though I prefer 'IT Analyst.' Sounds so much more modern, doesn't it?"

Sango didn't know if she wanted to laugh or not, for he looked so hopeful that it did. She didn't know if he was blatantly trying to disarm her. She didn't trust him, but she couldn't help liking the audacious youkai, he was so completely unlike her.

"Ah, but I digress." Tenga immediately discarded his hopeful look for a more somber one. His pink eyes were intent. "Sango-sama, this is a subject perhaps too intimate for one of our limited acquaintance, but I don't want to see you get hurt. For my own reasons. And I feel certain things must be explained to you that others would conceivably find too embarrassing to say."

He suddenly grinned. "I rarely find anything embarrassing any more. But, again, I digress. This conversation is supposed to be about _you_, not me."

"What about me?" she asked coolly, uncertain where this was going.

"You are a changeling, a wind-hanyou if I read your elemental energies right."

Picking up her tea, she waited for him to continue.

"If you were born a hanyou, than this wouldn't be as important. Your reactions would be instinctive, and you would have grown up in demon society, where certain things are taken for granted. But being _made_ a hanyou, certain natural…ah…tendencies, especially among male youkai, wouldn't be quite as obvious."

"What do you mean?"

"This is proving more difficult than I imagined." Chagrinned, Tenga frowned. His fingers drummed on the tabletop, as if trying to find a polite way to express what he wanted. Finally, he shrugged, and said bluntly, "Sex, Sango. I'm talking about sex."

Sango nearly dropped her tea cup.

"Forgive me," he said, but seemed to relax as she tensed, his voice growing amused. "Male youkai can be quite aggressive."

"I know that," Sango said sharply, for her slayer training hadn't been _that_ lacking. She remembered the old woman in the village who'd taken her aside in her thirteenth year, when her womanhood had come upon her, and told her in blunt terms the facts of life and the dangers of rape for a human woman in her line of work. Sango had always been careful to keep that distance between herself and the demons she'd hunted, carefully keeping any signals that might be mistaken as invitation or challenge from going beyond just fighting.

Though she had managed to throw all that away when she'd somehow challenged Youko last night. She still didn't quite know what she had done to incite the more bestial side of his youkai nature. She shivered, acutely aware of how she had reacted to that, like some mewling bitch in heat.

Noticing it, Tenga gentled his words. "There are certain…natural instincts…accepted among youkai. By our very nature, we are more primal in our…desires…than humans. In Freudian terms, we are closer to our id than our superego. Especially those of a lower class of power---as you have probably seen among the rabid D class demons in Mukuro's lands. Rather primitive specimens, but quite apt as an example."

Turning the idea over, Sango slowly nodded. It was close to something her father had once said about demons, though he had said the most dangerous were the ones who could control their inner drives, using their immense power to their advantage with ruthlessly precise intelligence. Lord Sesshoumaru had been a prime example of that opposite side of Tenga's statement.

"What has this to do with me?" she asked, still confused.

Tenga sighed, and cut right to the chase. "Your demonic heart will have a subtle influence over your natural reserve, Sango, submitting to a youkai's dominance as natural---"

"I am not weak---" Sango bristled.

"It has nothing to do with weakness," Tenga smoothly interrupted. "You are not like one of Yomi's concubines. Sweet flowers, all, but there is a reason why the king has never taken any of them as mate. It is often the strongest female that a demon will seek to claim as his mate, not the weakest. For a female strong enough to challenge him, it works almost as an aphrodisiac."

Sango stilled. Thinking hard, she bit her thumbnail, missing Tenga's reflexive wince as she worried it. "Are you warning me that as a hanyou warrior, I will have to be strong enough not only to defeat my opponents but to keep any unwelcome suitors at bay?"

Tenga frowned. "Well, that's not _precisely_ what I had in mind, but---"

But there was no time for him to finish his sentence, for startled screams, punctuated by piercing shrieks, abruptly erupted outside the restaurant. Jumping to her feet, Sango dashed outside, the lord not a step behind her, a wickedly sharp, bejeweled dagger in hand. The lobby was chaos as people literally climbed over one another to get out of the way of whatever was frightening the daylights out of them. They pressed against the walls, eyes red with fright. Sango tried to elbow her way through, being too short to see around the ten-foot ogre currently trying to run over her to get away from the dire menace behind him.

She finally managed to dive past him, her sword out now that she had room to draw, but stumbled to a stop as a small, dark form toddled into view, striped tail flagging lazily. Spotting Sango, he chittered, and made a beeline straight for the slayer that had the people around her scrambling back in fright.

"Darn it, Skunk! Where have you gotten to now? Don't go so fast, my old bones can't keep up…" Master Sen tottered into sight, a grumpy Guchi and clearly delighted Yuda following.

"Is that you, Sango?" Master Sen squinted over his thick bifocals as Sango opened her arms for Skunk to jump into. He nagged at her, rubbing his furry cheek against hers and then impatiently squirming to be let down. She released him, and Skunk promptly went back to Master Sen's side.

"We've been worried about you, young lady!" Guchi growled around his broken tusks as the trio converged on them.

"Lord Tenga, how precipitous." Yuda bowed, fairly oozing with delight over the scene they were making as the youkai around them looked on in appalled fascination.

"Lord Yuda." The graceful youkai offered an elegant leg, clearly basking in the attention as he bowed in a courtly Western fashion.

"Sango-san, we've been very worried about you." Master Sen pawed at his glasses, trying to push them back up his long nose as he stared up at her. "Are you all right, my dear? You left so suddenly last night---"

"I'm sorry, Master Sen," Sango apologized, warmed by their concern and regretting she was the cause.

"Why, it took Skunk most of the morning to track you down." Master Sen stooped to pat the smug demon, who preened under the praise.

"I---" Sango was abruptly cut off as a whirlwind swirled their hair into wild disarray, a loud shout from the balcony above making them all look up in surprise. A rainbow burst from the upper walkway, two youkai running down it as a boy in a red baseball cap used it like a slide and scooted down on his butt. They were quickly followed by a golden blond in bright yellow spandex. He was clearly the one who had generated the rainbow, for he rode it like a surfboard, the colorful display dissipating behind him."Don't worry, citizens, the Beautiful Suzuka is here to save you from the evil menace!"

"Here, now, what's all the commotion? We missing a fight? Well, don't worry, Chuu's here to save the day! Soon as I get me a little pick me up---" The giant youkai perched on the banister waved a bottle and took a healthy swig. Tossing it over his shoulder, he jumped off the balcony, swan-diving down into the lobby as the watching youkai shrieked in fear, trying to get out of his way. Just before impact, he started glowing, a fuchsia aura flickering around him, and he landed gracefully on his feet, grinning from ear to ear as he put his fists on his hips.

"What's the to do?" Jin suddenly swooped down in a more elegant version of Chuu's swan-dive, surprising Sango, who had crossed her arms over her head as the powerful winds surrounding the red-haired youkai buffeted everyone about.

"Are you a simpleton?" Yuda snapped at the impetuous Wind Master. "Cut off your winds, airhead, before you blow all of us over with it!"

"Oh, well, sorry it is I am, Your Snobship." Jin waved his hand, and the winds died as the crowd around them heaved a collective sigh of relief.

"Well? Where is it?" The beefy youkai with the neon-blue mohawk and strange, Australian accent looked around him.

"Where's what?" Guchi demanded testily, checking to see that his clothes were still on.

"The bloody bad guy!" the youkai---Chuu?---replied just as testily. "Where's he gone off to, eh? Crikey, we couldn't have scared him off that easily---not with all the screaming going on!"

"Perhaps, we were mistaken?" a short, blue-haired youkai with four spiked, aqua bangs and ice-blue eyes suggested wryly.

"I never make mistakes," pronounced the other blue-haired demon, an imp if Sango read his jyaki right.

"Yeah, tell that to Genkai." The tall blond---Suzuka?---elbowed the imp with a toothy grin.

"Isn't that you, Lily?" Jin peered past Lord Tenga, whose taller frame had hidden her slighter one from where he stood. He gave her a quizzical look, taking in her short hairstyle, and suddenly grinned in approval.

"Lily? Isn't that your own sheila, Jin?" Chuu grinned in delight. "Why, you're a tiny little thing, aren't you?"

Tiny? Well, maybe, considering the tower of a youkai stood over seven feet tall, including that mile-high mohawk. Several eyes suddenly regarded her with frank interest, and Sango blushed.

Jin didn't help the situation by propping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. "Well, it be a little late for introducing, 'tis my thinking, but hey, guys, this be Lily, and Lily, this be the guys."

"Hey." The boy in the baseball cap waved.

"Hello."

"Hmph."

"It is nice to finally meet you," the shorter, blue-haired demon said formally, his ice-blue eyes flickering to Jin and back to her.

"Ah, hello," Sango said awkwardly, too conscious of the way Jin had casually draped himself across her.

"Hello, yourself." Chuu drawled the word out too long, grimacing at her in a bad attempt at a leer.

Guchi snorted as Yuda shook his head in disgust and Master Sen frowned.

"Now, lass, who be your friends, eh?" Jin nudged her, and Sango colored again for having forgotten them.

"Ah, sorry. Master Sen, Guchi-san, this is my friend, Jin. Jin, this my lord Yuda---"

"I'm sorry to say we've already met." Yuda's voice fairly dripped with scorn, and Lord Tenga hid a smile behind his be-ringed hand. There was a gasp, and Suzuka all but gushed as he scooted up next to the elegant youkai.

"What a perfect _rainbow_ of rings!" He clasped his hands in awe, and the handsome imp covered his face with his palm in disgust. Ignoring him, the blond demanded fervently, "Where did you get them? May I look at them? Oh, but they're so _beautiful_."

Lord Tenga graciously let the youkai ooh and aah over his hand, a faint smirk on his lips.

"What the hell is that?" The boy suddenly pointed at Skunk, whose whiskers twitched.

"God Almighty!" Chuu roared, quickly pushing the curious boy behind him. "Get away from that thing, bledger!"

"Is that what I think it is?" The imp stared down at the innocent skunk in horror.

The striped tail slowly rose.

The crowd surrounding their group collectively held their breath, eyes rounding in fear.

"Oh, Skunk, please be nice," Master Sen said worriedly, hurrying to pick his pet up as Guchi groaned and Yuda rubbed his temples. Skunk tilted his head, considering.

Sango giggled. It was just too much. Hearing her, the others suddenly laughed, the tension breaking as they all exchanged relieved grins as Skunk lowered his stiff tail. The crowd muttered, shaking their heads but carefully staying put in case the skunk changed his mind.

"Well, ah, I think we should return home." Master Sen peered around, distinctly uneasy with all the attention. "You are coming, aren't you, my dear? Old Jenji has put on a kettle of oden, knowing it's one of your favorites…"

Home. It sounded so nice, though she would never have guessed that that was what the rundown shop would come to mean to her. Glancing around her at all the anxious wrinkled faces, Sango's heart warmed. She wasn't alone. She had friends. She had people who cared about her, and people she cared about.

"Did you say, oden?" Chuu asked, rubbing a thick finger along his nose as his belly growled. The boy behind him grinned, showing sharp teeth.

"Well, of course, you are all invited," Master Sen said generously, though Sango wondered where the hell they would all fit in the cramped confines of the shop. Guchi looked startled, but Lord Yuda smirked as Lord Tenga graciously intervened to solve the problem.

"Not to worry, I can have my servants fetch a few tables from home." Eying the towering Chuu, he said, "And perhaps a few other vittles. I don't know if one kettle will be enough to go around…"

Laughing, the group turned to leave, the nervous crowd heaving a collective sigh of relief as they finally trickled out.

ooOOOoo

Dinner turned into an impromptu block party as Lord Tenga's servants showed up with extra tables and chairs and Lord Yuda arranged to have the street cordoned off as word spread throughout the neighborhood and Master Sen's many "acquaintances" showed up unannounced, friends and family in tow. Sango couldn't believe the number of people who waved or stopped by to greet her. Many she knew from tending Master Sen's shop. The elderly mole had a tendency to attract all sorts of people to his side, from academics to antique collectors to the occasional merchant looking for something unique or the weapons master seeking something in particular.

She could finally put names to all of Jin's friends. She realized that these were the six demons Kurama had recruited for King Yomi, and was amazed by the different personalities who had become such fast friends. Besides Chuu and the Beautiful Suzuka---as the blond insisted on being called---there was a boy named Rinku who told her he was the fastest yoyo in the west, which earned him a knock upside the head from Chuu for being boastful. Chuu than immediately boasted he could drink any other youkai under the table, and some workmen took him up on his challenge. The handsome imp, Shishiwakamaru, had already collected a knot of adoring fangirls from where he held sway in his chosen corner, and the last was the quiet, blue-and-aqua-haired demon, Touya_**. **_He was an ice apparition, and Jin's best friend since "afore we were that high," as the wind youkai so blithely put it.

She found Touya an intelligent youkai, a foil to Jin's boisterous boasts as he and Guchi argued over tactics. Master Sen and Touya would add a comment or two that would toss their claim right on its head, and the conversation would turn to a new subject. Lord Yuda and Lord Tenga talked quietly in another corner. Lord Tenga's handsome mate, Jueru, lay against the elegant youkai's side, arms wrapped jealously around his mate as he finally gave off glaring at anyone who stared at them to lay his head on the tall demon's shoulder and close his eyes. Sango watched as Lord Tenga casually combed his fingers through the shorter youkai's blond curls, never missing a beat in his quiet conversation with Yuda, who didn't even notice the tenderness in the gesture, or how the tall youkai shifted so that his sleeping lover would be more comfortable.

It was such a sweet moment that Sango felt her heart tighten. Blushing, she looked down at her hands, which had unconsciously tightened around her glass. She probably shouldn't have indulged in that wine; it was making her all morose, wondering if she could ever find that same tenderness with anyone. Red eyes suddenly glared across her mind, and verdant green turned into molten gold. Sango flinched, and resolutely pushed the glass away, resolving to enjoy what she did have: Friends.

_Good_ friends, for Jin, having spotted her troubled expression, leaned over and nudged her arm with his shoulder. "What's to do, eh?"

"Oh, nothing." Sango smiled. "Just a little too much wine, I think."

"Well, if ye need to be clearing your head for a bit, I wouldn't mind a walk me'self," the youkai admitted. "Bit of a crowd, it is."

"Sure, why not?" Sango slid out of her seat as Jin stood up and stretched. Touya glanced up, but Jin only waved his hand dismissively. The ice apparition looked at Sango thoughtfully before turning back to his quiet conversation with Master Sen, old Guchi having finally fallen asleep with his hairy head on the table.

"I don't know if we can manage a walk," Sango said, eying the crowded block with chagrin.

"Nary a problem," Jin said agreeably. "Isn't there a wee yard in back? That's where you've been to training, no? Should be quiet and deserted now, I'm thinking."

"It should." Sango nodded, and led him through the crowded shop to the weed-choked yard beyond. It was quiet, the noise dulled to a murmur by the thick metal walls. The air was clear of the smoking lanterns that had been hung along the street once the sun set, and a light wind played with the short hair along her cheeks. She took a deep breath, letting the air fill her, and let it back out with a sigh.

Looking down at her, Jin smiled. "'Tis clean, no? You can finally be taking a deep breath of it inside ye." Spreading his arms out, he inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a second, and then exhaled with a dramatic whoosh that made Sango laugh as he rose a good two feet in the air to wiggle his bare toes.

"I envy you that skill," she said, grinning. "No matter how I try, I still can't fly."

"Ah, well, it's in your hanyou nature." Jin scratched the back of his unruly head. "A particular limitation, yes. Though there be things you can do, lass, to make up for it."

"I know," Sango said, smiling for Jin's rush to reassure her. "Master Sen has spent some time with me, as have some of his friends, expanding on what you first taught me." She turned to fully face him. "Jin, I never really thanked you for that."

"Aye, well." Jin actually blushed. "It wasna anything any youkai wouldn't a'done, given similar circumstances."

Sango snorted.

Taken aback by the sound, Jin blinked. And then, throwing his head back, laughed, long and hard. Tossing an arm across her narrow shoulders, he hauled her over and hugged her hard. "Ah, lass, how you do surprise a lad! Never the expected, are you, me Lily?"

"Well, I do try," Sango teased, and Jin burst into delighted peals, hugging her tighter. She grinned into his bare chest, feeling relaxed for the first time in so long, and all because Jin was so very _Jin_. Like Yusuke, he was able to push her troubled thoughts aside just by making her laugh. Wrapping her arms loosely around his waist, she hugged him back, grateful for that.

A calloused hand brushed her short hair back behind her ear, and Sango looked up at him in surprise. The demon's expression was quizzical, his smile tender. "Ah, lass, you do wound me so."

"Jin?" she questioned, and then his lips were on hers, the lightest brush, a gentle query. And then again, more confident this time, but still so soft and gentle as his hands twined around her neck, his thumbs pulling her chin up to meet his mouth.Her heart sped up, and Sango slowly closed her eyes.

ooOOOoo

The reflection in the window was blurred, the red flame of his hair surrounding the pale shape of his face and the dark hollows where his eyes would be if there was enough light to reflect them. The apartment was empty and dark; he had never bothered to turn on the lights. He stared out the window onto the night, the clouds blanketing a skyline of glittering lights. Thousands of lights, gleaming all over the city. A city where thousands of youkai sat with their friends and family around them, and a city where he sat quiet and alone.

Always so alone.

Pressing his forehead against the cool glass, Kurama closed his tired eyes.


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Boy, was I surprised by the reaction to the last chapter. Kind of makes me feel bad for the first scene of this one. Made me reconsider the whole plot, but then a rather devious plot bunny poked its twitching pink nose out of its hole inside my brain and winked evilly at me. I might have to indulge in a wee side story of Jin…_

_In the meantime, enjoy this short little transitional. =) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Thirty-Five**_

It just wasn't there. That feeling, that spark. It felt _wrong_, although there was nothing particularly wrong with it. Jin was a good kisser, after all, sweet and gentle. Like her houshi. Perhaps that was it, that reminder. But she couldn't pretend it was something it wasn't, that would be cruel not only to her but to Jin. So she pulled back when he would have deepened the kiss, and shook her head, gently drawing his arms from around her.

"I'm sorry, Jin," Sango said softly. "I didn't mean to lead you to think---"

Jin grimaced. "Well, I willna tell ye that I'm not fair disappointed, lass, but I understand, I do. Ye've already given your heart elsewhere."

Sango looked away, her throat tight. "No, that's not it."

She did not see the wry twist of his lips, she only heard the lightness in his voice. "Well, lass, let's just pretend the last didn't happen, why don't we just? And go back to what we be, which I'm hoping is friends, and good ones at that."

Too relieved for words, Sango clasped his hands in hers. "Thank you, Jin."

Jin suddenly cocked a wicked grin at her. "Now, mind, I wouldn't be the one to say no if'n you were to say we was what be good friends with _benefits_."

Dropping his hands, Sango socked him---hard---in the arm as her cheeks burned. "You're unreal, you know that, youkai?"

Rubbing his arm, Jin laughed. "Ah, lass, you do _wound_ me so!"

ooOOOoo

Up too early after last night's party, Sango stretched her arms over her head with a yawn and thought longingly about coffee. Black, and strong…

That got her out of bed---or rather, off the worn sofa in the crowded backroom that Master Sen had politely offered her last night. Pushing the blankets back, Sango padded into the main room, one hand covering another yawn as she pushed open the creaking door, which thumped into someone's legs.

"Gawd, bledger, do you have to be so _loud?_" A plaintive groan had her staring down at the giant demon lying face down on the floor.

"That wasn't me!" Rinku scowled from Guchi's lazy boy. Fisting the sleep out of his eyes, he blinked at the slayer. "G'morning, Sango!"

"God, does that brat have to wake up early _every_ morning?" A growl came from the dark recesses of the shop, and Rinku protested.

"I'm not a brat!"

"Bledger, shut up," Chuu said into the floor.

"Sun's up, it 'tis." Jin's rusty head suddenly appeared behind a tower of boxes as he sat up.

"So?" Another voice muttered.

"Ah, hey, there, lass." Catching sight of Sango, Jin waved and then yawned, loudly. "Ooh, me. Been a short night, it has."

"Coffee," Chuu mumbled.

"Aye, coffee would be good." Jin nodded thoughtfully, making no move to get up.

Hiding a smile, Sango said, "I was just about to make some."

"You," Chuu's grizzled head turned just enough to squint up at her, "are an angel, sheila."

"More sleep would be better," someone growled out of the dark.

"I'm too awake now to sleep," Rinku protested.

"So I fucking noticed."

"Hey! Do best to be watching your language, Shishi, in front of wee Lily!"

"What about me?" Rinku demanded. "Ain't I too young to hear stuff like that?"

"_Please_," Shishi replied. "You cuss worse than Chuu when your damn yo-yo strings get tangled up."

"Well, it takes me forever to untangle them!"

_"Excuse me," _Suzuka snarled, "but _some_ of us need our _beauty sleep." _

"Ah, that won't help you a bit, lad." Jin grinned.

"Did all of you decide to camp out here last night?" Sango asked, gingerly stepping over Chuu to get to the coffee can located above the pot-bellied stove.

"Where else were we supposed to go?" Rinku demanded. "Since we ain't exactly Yomi's men anymore, we got kicked out of the hotel."

"No money," Jin said morosely.

"I'm already considering that," Touya quietly reassured, neatly folding up his blanket as he stood up from the wind-youkai's other side. "Good morning, Sango-san."

"Ah, good morning." Sango blushed, still uncertain around the quietly self-contained apparition. She was grateful when he offered to go fill the coffee pot at the sink in back, as there were too many bodies in the way between her and there. They finally started moving once the coffee began percolating, and even the last hold-outs grudgingly got out of the way when the door to the cellar creaked open and Master Sen peered out.

"Ah, pardon me, but I really need to open the shop…" the mole apologized as he emerged, Skunk right on his heels.

"Master Sen, do you want me to fetch breakfast from Jenji's?" Sango offered, but Rinku bounced up on the counter and volunteered, eager to get away from a hung-over Chuu, who was more grouchy than usual.

Speaking of grouchy…

"What, are you still here?" Guchi stood at the bottom of the stairs, snout curled up in disdain. It was an interesting expression for a boar youkai, and showed his yellow teeth.

"And where else would we go, eh?" Chuu demanded. "We're bloody broke blokes, we are."

"Perfect. Hooligan hobos. Just what we need." The boar sniffed in a way more typical of Yuda.

"Better a hooligan hobo than a hooligan has-been," Chuu grumped back.

Guchi glared, his eyes flashing red as his aura flared around him.

"Ah, Master Guchi, I have your tea right here." Sango quickly intervened, worming her way to the elderly youkai's side and pushing a cup into his hands. With a skill she had learned over the past six months, she steered the boar into his favorite seat. Touya, taking a cue from her, quickly steered Chuu towards the backroom with a steaming mug of coffee.

The coffee went fast, and Sango had to make three pots before finally getting a cup for herself. By then, Rinku had returned with oatmeal and day-old bagels, the gleanings of Jenji's cookshop. Propping herself in an corner---Skunk having claimed her normal stool for himself, and no one would dare naysay the little demon in his current bad mood---she looked at the overcrowded confines of the shop, and came to a decision. _She_ certainly didn't want to return to the two-bedroom apartment she'd shared with Kurama, not after what had happened there with Youko. The place was fraught with too many uncomfortable memories. Turning it over to the six now-homeless demons the fox had recruited would provide a damn good excuse for her _not_ to.

It was the perfect solution, and their enthusiasm---especially Suzuka's, who claimed he couldn't stand that pit they called a bathroom, and wanted some real amenities---made her feel somewhat better for what was, in the end, a rather selfish solution to her own problem.

"We'll not be to putting you out, lass?" Jin asked.

"Oh, no, no, not at all," Sango replied too quickly, and Touya gave her a thoughtful look. It eerily reminded her of Kurama, and she uncomfortably slid her eyes away from the ice apparition's light blue gaze.

"Right, then, best be off. I could use a shave." Chuu scratched his stubbly cheeks.

"And a shower." Guchi waved his hand in front of his snout, grin nasty when the giant demon rounded on him.

"Looky here, you old codger---"

"Now, Chuu, isn't it that you're to be respecting your elders?" Jin inserted himself between them.

"Yeah!" Rinku said. "You tell me that crap all the time!"

"Crap? Listen here, bledger---"

Thankfully, they hastily took their argument into the street when Skunk deliberately raised his tail. Hiding a grin, Sango saw them out and gave the key to Jin, since he knew where the apartment was. He promised to bring her things by later that evening, after they "set themselves in." Touya gravely thanked her, and Jin gave her a last breath-stopping bear hug. Then they were gone, leaving the shop in blessed silence.

Master Sen looked relieved, than sorry for that relief as he said, "Your friends are nice, Sango-san, but---"

Guchi summed it up nicely. "I'm glad they're gone. Damn barbarians have no manners."

Unselfconsciously scratching his rear, the old boar let out a gassy fart.

Skunk's twitching tail covered his nose.

"And they say _you're_ the stinky one." Master Sen petted his little friend.

ooOOOoo

Finding herself at loose ends, Sango retreated to the yard to practice in the late afternoon. Strangely frustrated, she worked first with her sword, and then on her kata, loosening herself up for her wind techniques. She'd managed to work up a good sweat and was now quietly meditating, trying to ferret out her unspoken disquiet as she let her breathing slow, her jyaki returning back inside her body in a slow spiral.

Purpose. That was what she lacked. It loomed before her, the question of what she would do with herself now that she was willing to look forward and wasn't so consumed in looking back. True, she could stay with Master Sen, and intended to for a while, as he did need help around the shop and she could use more training with her wind techniques. She bet Jin wouldn't mind helping her out with that, and Master Sen had mentioned a master swordsman---an old friend of his, of course---would be coming around in the next few weeks. But then, the old mole always managed to finagle one of his "friends" to stop by for a cup of tea and a few bits of advice while they watched her practice.

But she needed more than that. What was she training _for?_ What would she do with it? She couldn't see herself doing what she had. Fighting for hire, mercenary work---it left a sour taste in her mouth after all the pointless, bloody skirmishes in Mukuro's territory. Fighting to her had become so grim and empty. She missed the innocent wonder she had had as a little girl, her unadulterated joy in testing her physical limits and surpassing them. _She_ had been the one to ask her father to train her in the art of demon slaying, begging and pleading and nearly chopping her own leg off when she'd stubbornly tried to do it herself. He'd finally relented then, and taught her with the other boys.

Gone was that simple joy, now. Lost to the realization of her anger and bitterness and what it had cost her and her foes over the countless years as she turned that skill to deadly purpose. Revenge was a cold companion, especially a revenge she could never take on a bastard killed by something so insignificant as a flea demon.

_That_ bitter draught could twist inside her if she let it---as she already had for so very long. The dark rage she'd carried so long inside her heart left her empty now of even the willingness to use her sword for something so…pointless. Fighting for fighting's sake, since she knew nothing different? How could she justify that to herself? No, she could not turn her sword for something so trivial as just to earn her bread.

Now, if she had a true cause or purpose behind it---defending the weak, perhaps, or exterminating demons like that raging beast in the Forest of Fools. Maybe that would be something, but here in Makai, that was few and far between. What she might consider rabid might be considered perfectly acceptable. She didn't know this world enough yet to know the subtle difference, and didn't know if she could trust another to make the decision for her. For what would be behind their persuasion? Greed? Enmity? She didn't know enough of that, either.

It left her in a quandary, and strangely bereft, for she didn't know what she was fighting for anymore. She needed purpose, needed a reason to get up and out. Maybe she could make finding it her quest, although that left her empty, too. She was just fishing, and---

And _holykamiohmygod_ what the _hell_ was _that?! _

Eyes snapping open, Sango was on her feet in an instant, her body reacting before her mind caught up with it as her jyaki flared in reaction to the powerful surge of demonic energies rippling all around her. Sheathing her sword, she clambered up the side of Master Sen's shop, using the revitalized energy of her jyaki-fed winds to hoist herself up on the roof in a matter of seconds. She stood, mouth open and eyes wide, staring at the incredible beam of light that shot straight up into the sky. It was too far on the horizon for her to see except as a glittering, fuchsia-crimson laser beam. It lay south---Raizen's lands---and the incredible _feel_ of it---as if all three kings, and more than that, more powerful than that---had amped up their energies just to send it forth. Using the jyaki that existed in themselves and in the very world around them, it was like they were shouting out across Makai just how fucking awesome they were.

She felt the jyaki inside her blood burning with that arrogant challenge, tingling along her nerves as her own aura flared in answer. That _oneness_ she had felt with Makai in the Forest of Fools---when demon world had welcomed her home, and Kurama and Hiei had opened her up to the simple joy of being alive in a world now her own---suddenly returned. Flushed with it, Sango laughed in pure astonishment, her heart speeding up as her instincts roared. That simple joy she had felt as a child---her warrior's spirit---what had made fighting fun and wonderful and new and exciting---returned until she was all but giddy with it.

Whirling in place, Sango knew, suddenly, certainly, what she wanted, needed, _had_ to do! Test her strength against demons so willing to call out their foes for a tournament she had paid little attention to. To see for herself what she was now capable of, against foes worthy enough to challenge her. Yusuke---the demon tournament---she didn't know how he'd done it, but she knew now that he'd returned her joy in battle to her, and she knew, somehow, some way, she was going to be a part of it!

ooOOOoo

Explaining to Kurama what they were all doing there in his apartment---well, in his and Sango's, truth be told---was a tad more awkward than Jin had anticipated. Of course, being caught with his hands in Sango's underwear drawer was what made the whole situation even more uncomfortable.

But since Chuu was currently playing tug-of-war with Rinku---the curious boy having been the one to open that drawer and dig out a bra---it really just made the whole uncomfortable partl…ah…well, explaining was easy after that.

"I see," the fox said, green eyes opaque.

"Kurama," Touya intervened, trying to soften the blow, "it was more a kindness than anything else---"

"We couldna all be staying at the little mole's. A mite crowded, it was," Jin added.

"No money," Rinku helpfully supplied, finally letting go of his end of the bra.

"No money?" Kurama looked surprised.

"Seeing as how our CEO basically went right up and quit the company," Chuu said, discreetly tucking his hands behind his back, bra crumpled inside one fist.

Kurama nodded distractedly. He went to the window, apparently lost in thought, and missed the quick exchange as Chuu chucked the bra to Jin, who hastily shoved it inside the backpack with the girl's other clothes. Grabbing a handful of underwear---though, lordy, those white cotton panties put too many pervy thoughts in a young lad's head---Jin managed to zip it up before the fox turned back around.

"I might have a solution," the fox gravely offered.

Which was exactly how they all ended up in the forest outside the city, helping to disband an army of youkai not really believing yet that they _were_ disbanding, their king only having abdicated yesterday. And while most were willing enough to go, a few of the more stubborn hardheads needed to be knocked around a bit to convince them of it. And seeing as that was perfect work for the six of them, it didn't take that long to get the disorganized chaos of dismantling Shachi's troops into the somewhat more organized chaos of dismantling Shachi's troops.

And since they were overseeing that dismantlement, so to speak, and were all grouped up on an embankment above the array of tents, they were in the perfect spot to see that glorious surge of demon energy drilling right up from the south and straight into the sky. A real beaut, it was, all crimson and glowing. The jyaki in that giant pillar of light came from the very heart of Raizen's lands, and surged with so much power and battle-lust and just plain joie-de-vive that it sparked that same surge inside every youkai who was a part of this land, making his blood a'boil and his toes a'curl and his ears start wiggling so that he wanted to dance right there in place---ah, the wonder and glory of it! And the pure, unadulterated _power_ in it! Oh, my, but that must have toppled all the blessed saints off their holy thrones and right on their very arses, for it shot straight up into the very heavens, piercing the clouds with its glorious light!

Jin, sitting cross-legged in the air a few feet above them all with his arms crossed behind his head, basked in that glorious light as they all stared in awe at what amounted to a crazy display of pure demonic energy. That surging, red beam of light was summoned and powered by several demons as strong as King Yomi himself. Such a sweet display caused the wind youkai's heart to throb right inside his chest as his warrior spirit all but chortled with it. He knew that somehow, some way, Yusuke had managed to pull those powerful demons out of seclusion to join in his tournament, and oh, but he could just imagine the expression on Yomi's face. Or Mukuro's! They thought they were the only powerful youkai in Makai, but aho! Here was proof that there was a demon or two who could put those two smug rulers to shame! This tournament was going to be the end-all-be-all, and Jin wasn't going to miss it for the world!

With their very world at stake, what demon would?


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I have to thank Guyute for her help with this chapter, and resolving a major issue I had with the way it (and the next) turned out. I cannot tell you enough, Lady Peach, how much you helped me. And continue to inspire. (Fate)_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA, A HINT OF YAOI LIME (JUST A SQUIRT), CHOPPY SCENES AND CHEEZY DEMONS (OOOH! I COULD JUST IMAGINE A CHEESE DEMON. HE'D LOOK LIKE PIZZA THE HUT. OKAY, BAD THOUGHT.)

_**Chapter Thirty-Six**_

They weren't the ones making a stir through the crowd, even if Lord Tenga had hoped to by arriving fashionably late. But he had timed his entrance poorly, for the three main protagonists of the Demon World Tournament----namely, the former rulers, Yomi, Mukuro and Yusuke---were down in the center arena approaching each other. The crowd who had assembled for the preliminary rounds of the tournament were too busy watching the exchange to pay any attention to just more of the audience arriving.

Put out, Lord Tenga frowned as his lover smirked, chiding, "I told you not to take so long getting ready."

"I wasn't the one who made us late by insisting we had just enough time to---" Lord Tenga glared, rather impressively for a six-foot-five elf lord dressed in lavender and navy.

Still unused to the casual manner between the lord and his lover, Sango blushed. Tenga's smile turned wicked as Jueru deliberately draped himself over the tall lord, nibbling on his ear in mock apology.

"Ah, perhaps I should be going down to the arena. Looks like most of the contenders are already assembled…" Sango inched away from the amorous pair, who were now gathering the interest they wanted, at least by those standing closest to them.

"Sure," Tenga said distractedly, for Jueru's warm mouth had moved down the long column of his pale throat. His Adam's apple worked convulsively as the shorter demon's fangs pricked lightly, his tongue laving the spot tenderly. The demon lord's pink eyes glowed. "Better hurry," he advised, before turning his head and swiftly capturing his teasing lover's mouth in a hot kiss.

Shaking her head, Sango slipped from their side. Worming her way through the massive throng, she wished she wasn't so short, for she couldn't see anything past the wide bulk of the demons around her. She would have liked to catch a better sight of her fellow participants. At least she was able to use her slighter frame to slip between all the bodies vying for the best view of the arena below. Everyone who could had turned out to watch the Demon World Tournament. With all Makai as the prize---and the future of their world at stake---anyone who was anyone had shown up to watch, if not participate. Although, with such a prize at stake, any meathead who half-thought he had a chance was entering, and it was rumored there were thousands. From the packed arena below---as all participants had been told to proceed to the arena floor, for the drawing of lots for the preliminary rounds---it looked like the rumors were true.

Sango had a moment of doubt, wondering why she thought she stood a chance among so many vying for something she really hadn't any real desire for---namely, Makai---but she smiled. No, she wasn't here to win Makai. She had no illusions that she was anywhere near the power level of the odds-on favorites, like Mukuro and Yomi. Enough for her was the fact that the best of the best in Demon World would turn out for this little tourney, and she wanted, needed, to test herself and her new abilities against them. That small kernel Yusuke had somehow sparked within her warrior spirit was still there, nurtured by her determination to find out just how good she was now with the acceptance of her dual-heritage.

_Purpose_. That's what she had. The purpose of pitting her strength and wits against the best of the best that demon world had to offer. To see if, after accepting her youkai heart, and yes, even the subtle influence Kagura's demonic nature now had on her own personality, it was enough. Enough to prove to her _self _that she was more than she had ever been…__

__Eyes sparkling with renewed determination, Sango slithered past the youkai parked at the railing and skipped down the steps into the arena. She was lost in a sea of demons, many who already wore the numbered tags that proclaimed their willingness. She hurried to find the motley line still snaking around the edges of the crowded contenders who had already enrolled.

She was so short and slight few paid attention to her, thinking she was just here to cheer on another. That changed once she got to the front of the line and finally claimed her number. "5184." Wow, that was a lot of demons, and the line still snaked past her with another thousand or so willing to take up the challenge.

Pinning her number to the left lapel of her light pink hoodie, Sango looked up as a giant, eight-foot, wolverine-looking demon grinned down at her, showing a mouthful of gleaming teeth worthy of a Crest commercial, if they weren't so sharp. He had a mane of bristling red hair, floppy ears, and shoulders a mile wide.

"You participating?" he asked, head cocking to the right a little.

She nodded cautiously, uncertain where his aims lay. But he seemed affable enough.

"Good." His grin got wider. "This promises to be a good fight, and I'm thinking Raizen would be proud of his son for coming up with such a great solution."

"You mean Yusuke?" she asked curiously. "Do you know him?"

"Met him the once," the giant wolverine replied, arms crossing a good two feet above her head as he straightened. "Good boy. A lot like his dad."

"Did you know the king?" She moved aside as a giant slug slithered around her, fifty eyes blinking, to claim his number.

The wolverine laughed, a great, booming sound that drew other contenders' attention. "Yes, I knew him. We were sparring buddies, back in the day. Miss the bastard like you can't believe. I bet Raizen's rolling around in his grave in jealousy over this great turn-out---just like Enki said!" He chuckled at some private joke, and then looked up, seeing someone wave. He nodded, and turned back to Sango long enough to say, "Well, I hope to see you around, young lady. If you make it past the preliminaries, we might even get the chance to fight."

"I'd like that," she said warmly, and he grinned. With a final wave, he shoved through the crowd. The space quickly filled up behind him.

"I'd like that, too," a sickly-sweet voice purred in her ear, and Sango jumped away from the lizard demon who had slithered up to her. His pink eyes gleamed, a forked tongue slipping out to lick his fat lips. Ugh.

"Hey, little girl, you think you should really enter this fight? I wouldn't want to see such a delectable morsel get devoured so quickly, and only in the preliminaries."

Sango's eyes flashed. "It won't be that easy to defeat me, demon."

"Oh-ho! Girl's got an attitude!" Another demon grinned at her, this one a three-eyed ogre with a massive club resting negligently on his shoulder.

"You sure you're up for this?" another demon asked, and Sango scowled at the gathering circle of her admirers. Great. Just great.

"How about you and me go a round or two in my nest?" A towering bird demon winked at her, clacking his beak. "Friendly-like."

"In your dreams," Sango retorted, hand creeping to her sword as the bird's eyes flared in anger at the laughing taunts around him. But a giant snake hissed them silent, raising up a good ten feet on his coiled body to see over the crowd.

"Quiet! I can't hear---the three kings are all talking together! Yomi's got a brat with him---who is it?"

"That's Shura," someone helpfully supplied, and Sango reflexively lifted up on her tippy-toes to try and see, although that was a vain move. So she listened to all the murmurs around her, wishing she could _see_, damn it!

"Shura's the king's son. Just hatched."

Well, she knew that already. Gandara had been ripe with the news that Yomi had created a son somehow, using something called an "embryonic incubation tank." Young Shura had grown at a rapid rate over the last one hundred days, much to the shock and disapproval of old Master Sen and grouchy Guchi. They thought the blind lord had accelerated the boy's growth too quickly, not giving him enough time for a real childhood. The fact that they took for granted the mere possibility of such a rapid growth spurt from infancy to what amounted ten years in just 100 days bothered Sango, for it showed just how little she understood about her new, adopted world.

Everyone knew the former king had been planning on enrolling his son in the tournament, and that the intensive, secret training the lord had given Shura over the last three months had jumped the boy's power levels to an incredible height. Yuda had kept them all abreast of the boy's progress, and Sango grimaced. As intensively as she had trained, she had not gained as much power as young Shura, though she judged her level was now a good, solid B. She still had a ways to go---she was nowhere near such levels as Jin and the others, let alone Yomi or Mukuro. But then, most demons thought the contest would come down to the two former kings, for even Yusuke hadn't reached their energy levels.

But heck, like everyone else, she was game to try!

"That one's Yusuke. He's even more powerful than before. Must've been training the last hundred days."

"Who wasn't?" another retorted.

"Not you, fuzz ball. You look too weak to even fight. You should withdraw."

"Not on your life! I'm going to make you eat those words, snotty-snoot, with my hairy fist!"

"Shut up---I can't hear. Hey, snake! Tell us what's going on!" a short troll called, impatiently dancing from foot to foot.

"Shut up and I'll try!"

"Boy looks too human to be Raizen's heir." More comments from the peanut gallery.

"Just means it will be easier to kill him," the lizard grinned wickedly.

"Kid's built like a brick shit-house," a big, squishy-looking eyeball said thoughtfully.

"Well, his dad was a battle demon. Stands to reason." Another shrugged.

"Holy crap---what's Mukuro doing?" The snake gaped, and there was a collective gasp around her from those youkai who could actually see what was going on. Frowning, Sango strained to hear.

"He's taking off his bandages!" the ogre hollered.

"What? What?" A blue parrot-like demon hopped from foot to foot, wings flapping ineffectually as there was no room for him to take off.

"King Mukuro's a _woman!"_

"A woman?"

"What? What?" the parrot absurdly repeated.

"I knew---only a real bitch could be _that_ evil!"

"You can't be serious! That tyrant…!"

"A woman! Mukuro's a _woman!"_

"What's wrong with that?" Sango growled, arms crossing defensively.

"Quiet, hanyou! I can't hear. What's going on?" The troll jumped up and down, eyes bleeding with frustration.

"You be quiet, pimple-head." The ogre casually smacked the troll on the noggin, shoving him two feet into the earth. The troll screamed in fury, waving one fist in the air as he ineffectually tried to pull himself out of the ground with the other.

"Hey! Save that shit for the preliminaries!" someone chided, and the troll snarled, blood in his eye.

The youkai roiled around her, glowing eyes turning on one another in rising anger. Sango wasn't stupid enough to stay around and wait for the fight to break out. Tensions were running high in all the excitement, and her brain churned with all the crazy stuff going on. Mukuro, after five hundred years of hiding her gender from those under her, was revealing it in a display worthy of Lord Tenga. Sango wondered what had made the powerful demoness finally decide to reveal her true nature. But those useless speculations were quickly pushed aside as the loudspeakers placed everywhere boomed out, ordering the contestants to line up single-file to draw their lots.

Slipping into the ragged line that was forming as youkai pushed and shoved their way forward, Sango found herself behind a giant beetle and in front of a cowled skeleton who looked like the Grim Reaper. He even had the wicked scythe and maniacal grin. But he had a chatty blob of a companion, and by listening she caught the gist of what was going on.

The grand total of 6,272 demons who had enrolled in the Demon World Tournament were being divided into 128 groups of forty-nine. The winner of each group would go on to the actual, main tournament, where the 128 would fight one on one until the last two remaining contenders would fight for sovereignty of Makai. There was growling speculations over who would win. Many claimed they would defeat all comers, and others boasted and growled and taunted as they jostled each other. The line crept slowly, the end snaking back on itself, and Sango caught a few glimpses of the giant billboard, where the numbers for each group were being highlighted one by one for the benefit of the grandstands.

The announcer---an enthusiastic cat youkai named Koto---triumphantly called out each name, their picture plastered to the billboard above her. Sango frowned, edgy with the knowledge that her picture would be up there for all to see, but then shrugged. There was no help for it, and really, she didn't have anything to worry about. Her promise to Shigure was for anyone who had _known_ her. She doubted anyone who had in the Sengoku Jidai would be here, after all, since Kagome and Inuyasha were in living world. She had heard Kouga wasn't going to be participating, thanks to Lord Tenga's spies. The wolf youkai would have, except for the birth of his new son---though it was kind of sweet to know that Ayame had got her man in the end.

But that salved her one nagging worry, and besides, for the last hundred years or so, she'd been the assassin Anei. Her short hair and wind-hanyou status would probably throw enough doubt on anyone who might wonder at the connection. Besides, it wasn't as if she was the only woman ever to be called Sango, after all.

She heard a few names called, and cheers and taunts and boasts, but the chatty blob had finally turned to her as a good person to babble at, and she missed a lot. She knew Jin was in group forty-six, and that Chuu had made it to group ninety-seven. There was a restless stir when Mukuro's group was announced---seventy-four---and a towering youkai paled as he walked past, staring at the same number pinned to his chest.

"I ain't stupid enough to go against her," he growled to his slithering companion. "I'm withdrawing!"

"What? You can't withdraw!" The---snake? Frog? Lizard? It was hard to tell---stopped, appalled.

"Like hell I can't!" the ogre growled, stomping off.

"How pathetic," the blob burbled in contempt, and kept that line of one-sided conversation up until they finally drew to the front. By then, most of the demons had chosen and already left, save a few who hung around waiting to know who got what group. Sango had missed hearing what lot those she knew had drawn, and hadn't kept good track of their numbers. Her heart had lurched when she'd heard Hiei's name called for group five, but she shrugged it off as _not_ her concern, damn it. Though, damn if her heart didn't lurch again when Kurama's name was called for group sixty-four. But since Touya and Kirin's groups were quickly called after that, and the blob started nattering on about what he would do to _his_ group, she was easily distracted from the disturbing turmoil stirred up within her, and started wondering what group she would end up in.

The beetle finally waddled forward, and held up his ticket with a roar of triumph. Group fifty-four---Suzuka's. The beetle shouted that he would kick everybody's ass, but Sango smiled, thinking he didn't stand a chance against the arrogant blond. But it was her turn now, and straightening her shoulders, she strode up the two steps to the table perched on the dais.

The pretty, blue-haired demoness behind the table dimpled at her. "Please, put your hand in the box and pull out your ticket."

Digging inside the box, Sango withdrew the first paper to tickle her searching fingers. Withdrawing it, she gave it to the youkai who smiled reassuringly before drawing a deep breath to call it out as a camera was shoved in her face and a giant flash left spots dancing before her blinking eyes.

ooOOOoo

Standing around waiting for the preliminary drawings to finish, the reunited friends from the Dark Tournament exchanged threats, musings, opinions and bad jokes until the announcement of a certain wind-changeling interrupted their playful banter.

"Sango---group 120!"

Kurama stiffened as Hiei's red eyes snapped to the board, where an earnest girl looked surprised to have her picture snapped as her name and group appeared in glowing kanji beside her.

Yusuke blinked. "Holy shit, isn't that Anei?"

"Aye, it 'tis, lad!" Jin punched him in the arm. "And glad it is I am that me wee Lily decided to come after all! Worried, I was, that she'd be backing out there at the last minute. The mole wasn't that sure if she was to be the ready for it!"

"Well, it's right good she's not in any of our groups," Chuu said with a wolfish grin. "Be a shame to beat the sheila so early on."

"Did you know about this?" Hiei growled in a low aside to Kurama, who mutely shook his head, his green eyes pinned to the board, which was already dissolving to show the next picture of a terrified blob-demon, who had just drawn Mukuro's group. The blob's hasty withdrawal followed speedily, but the fox heard none of it as Hiei's eyes narrowed.

ooOOOoo

"Where do I know her from?" Koenma murmured, frowning at the dark-eyed picture that had just flashed on the screen. "Sango, Sango…"

Eying the spirit-world prince, who had come with her in disguise to watch the important tournament, Botan shrugged. The name didn't mean anything to her, and she was usually better at keeping track of people than her boss, since she was one of the ferry-girls, known as Grim Reapers, who processed dead spirits over the River Styx. She glanced at Jorge, the blue ogre who had come with them to watch Yusuke fight, and he only shrugged helplessly in return.

But Botan was caught by a picture that flashed on the screen, the one after the blob. It was what a Grim Reaper should look like, or what human world thought they looked like. All skull and bones and dark cowl and wicked scythe. Boy, were the dead souls surprised when she arrived in her pretty pink kimono and bouncing blue curls to take them flying up to the Afterlife on her oar. Botan giggled at the irony, and elbowed Jorge to get a look at her demonic counterpart. The ogre snickered, and they ignored their musing boss to lean against the railing and catch the next few contestants.

ooOOOoo

"Nah," the wolf demon shook his head decisively. "That can't be her. She's dead."

"What's that, boss?" Hakkaku asked, brows raised as he ran a clawed hand over his white mohawk.

"Ah, shove it, Hakakku," Kouga snapped, crossing his arms over his wide chest as his tail swished from side to side in aggravation. "You're lucky we ain't in the same group."

"That's true," Ginta said, black eyes mournful. "Though I don't know if I want to be in the same group as Rinku. He looks fierce."

"Quiet, moron! You want others to hear what cowards you are?" Kouga growled, and the two wolf youkai exchanged glances behind his back. Boss sure was grumpy since the pup was born, but then, it was only at Ayame's insistence that they were here at all.

Perhaps it would've been better to have stayed home…

"This shit's getting annoying. When's the real fight gonna start?" Kouga growled impatiently, a question echoed by many, for finally the last demon had selected his ticket and they were all waiting while the officials consulted closely.

The blue eyes hardened when the foxy announcer finally got back on her mike, disappointment in every line of her as she said it had been decided that the preliminary round would be postponed until the next morning, since it had taken so long to get through the drawing.

"Be here bright and early, folks!" Koto called, waving at the disappointed groans that wafted around the packed stadium and playing to the audience like she always had. "For what promises to be the most gruesome, ass-kicking-est, epic fight _ever_ to be held in Demon World! Now, who's with me? C'mon, folks, let me hear ya loud and clear! Bring on the blood! Bring_ on _the_ blood!" _

The crowd went crazy, and Kouga's disappointment lightened. "Yeah, we'll bring it all right!" He turned to his two most trusted men. "Right?"

"Uh…" Hakkaku said as Ginta circled a toe in the dirt.

Smacking them both upside the heads, Kouga stalked away in disgust.

"Kouga!" they protested, and hurried to catch up with him. Rubbing the goose-egg on his noggin, Ginta thought morosely that some things _never_ change.

ooOOOoo

"Well, that's that, I guess. At least until tomorrow." Yusuke shrugged.

"Damme, but I was itchin' to go today," Chuu growled. "Ah, well, no worries, mates. Give me a chance to get a good night of drinking inside me, eh?"

"You would do better to get a good night's sleep," Shishi said in disgust.

"This be Chuu, lad. Passing out over a bottle of gin _is_ a good night's sleep." Arms crossed over the back of his head, Jin grinned down at the shorter demon, who only rolled his eyes at their friend's enthusiastic agreement.

"Well, at least we can unpack and settle into our rooms," Touya pointed out.

"Rooms?" Rinku squinted. "I thought we were all gonna pile up into one room together."

"Speak for yourself, pipsqueak," Sazuka said, hooking a thumb in Chuu's direction. "I can't get any beauty sleep with him sawing logs all night."

"What do you mean?" Rinku demanded. "Chuu doesn't snore!"

"Hell, yeah, I do," Chuu said, hardly repentant. "You just sleep so dead-drooly, bledger, you never notice."

Yusuke sniggered.

"So I guess it'll be two by two, then, eh?" Jin demanded. "Touya and me, the imp and the rainbow, and the alkie and the kid?"

"Sounds good to me." Chuu shrugged.

"Right. I'll just be flying ahead and get us a room afore all the good ones are gone, no?" He was gone before Touya could tell him he had the money for it.

"Hey, Hiei, Kurama, you coming?" Yusuke hung back as the others left, arguing about dinner and the nutritional merits of bar-food, as Chuu was quick to suggest.

"In a moment," Kurama said distractedly, staring at Hiei, who only cast him a smoldering glance. Hiding a grin, for he had a suspicion what was eating at those two, Yusuke shrugged and turned away.

ooOOOoo

"You can't just go and confront her, Hiei," Kurama said quietly.

"Who said I had any such intention?" The fire demon deliberately turned away with a sneer, pausing only to snap over his shoulder, "I don't care what she does."

Kurama watched as he stalked away, following the crowd slowly trickling out of the stadium. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he whispered sadly, "Liar."

ooOOOoo

The next day dawned bright and clear, if a little cool. For mid-April, it was perfect. For early spring, it was nice. For the Demon World Tournament, it meant _great_ viewing.

Smiling wryly, Sango switched off the television set in her hotel room. Koto was up bright and early, the cheerful glint in her dancing eyes too full of avarice for the coming bloodshed. That cat demon had a perverse sense of fun. Yuda, already seated beside the enthusiastic cat---having been "forced" as he said, to take the second commentator's seat as an expert on demon physiology and Yomi's former advisor---looked glum beside her. The old earth apparition hated mornings, Sango remembered with a faint smile.

Not that she was fond of them herself. Ah, well, best be going. Looked like the crowds were already descending on the stadium, and she didn't want to be late. Pulling her pink hoodie over the white tank and light blue jeans she wore, Sango belted on her sword, making sure the knives strapped to her calf and waist were all right. Master Sen had told her quite firmly that she relied too much on her weapons. That if she truly wanted to embrace the youkai side of her, and learn to use her wind techniques just as instinctively as she used her sword and knives, she should leave them behind. But Sango was too practical to leave anything to chance, and she shrugged as she surreptitiously pocketed the numerous throwing stars about her person.

Besides, it was Master Sen who had surprisingly sanctioned her tentative idea that would allow her to win past the preliminaries without undue bloodshed. Sango, for all her need to prove herself, couldn't get past her own inhibitions about killing anyone for so pointless a reason as to take part in the main tournament. Guchi had bluntly told her that such stupid idealism would get her killed, and quickly. They knew the preliminary rounds would be a bloodbath, and it seemed too perplexing a quandary, until Yuda had slyly stepped in and advised the official rules in the preliminaries allowed a fighter to use "any means necessary" to overcome their opponents.

The strongest and best ability-wise did not always win the preliminary match. In fact, it was almost expected for a demon or two to come up with some strategy to get them past it. The point was to get _through_ it, not to show what you were truly capable of---which was what the whole, real tournament would be about. In fact, most demons would be wary of showing their powers so early on in the game. Sango had gone back and forth for a long time---it seemed so underhanded, almost, but there was a side to her---the ruthless side, tainted by Kagura, perhaps, that said this was the ideal solution. She certainly couldn't have it both ways. Finally, her reluctance to commit wholesale murder won out over her need to prove herself in the end.

Sitting on the edge of the bed to pull on her tennis shoes, she bent down to tie the laces on the pink Chucks. She hardly resembled the shadow-assassin who had arrived in Demon World more than a year ago. It was probably foolish for her to leave the protection of her cloak behind. The gods only knew what the other demons would be bringing with them. Ah, but she _liked_ pink, and the casual clothing was as good a disguise as her cloak, for it was hardly warrior-like, and the others might underestimate her.

Sitting back up, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled as Skunk stretched like a cat, making a growlly sound as he stalked over to rub her fingers for a scratch on the chin. She'd been surprised when he had basically decided on his own to accompany her to the tournament, but it proved quite fortuitous. The demon's first loyalty was to Master Sen, but he was willing to take part in her plan, for his own, mysterious reasons, which he kept to himself, thank you. Rather cagey, was Skunk.

"Well, I guess it's time to go," she said, Sitting back on his haunches, Skunk watched her with unfathomable red eyes as she ran a distracted hand through her short hair, tucking a stray strand behind her ear. She smiled down at her little friend. "You ready?"

The skunk yawned, eyes slitting as he showed a sharp row of teeth, and Sango smiled as he languidly hopped off the bed in answer. She followed the lazily flagging tail as he led her out the door.

ooOOOoo

The preliminary round would be fought on top of okuninju stalks---the giant, umbrella-shaped trees that housed entire eco-systems on their plateau-buds. Like huge islands in the sky, the mini-biospheres provided a full range of natural terrain for the fighters to take advantage of. Getting up there when she didn't have enough jyaki to teleport herself like most demons was rather inconvenient, and Sango had to hitch a ride with the pretty camera-girl slated for Group 120's stalk.

Although the youkai was obliging, clinging to a half-naked, nubile girl while flying through the air to a dizzying height was not the same as riding on the back of a nekomata. For one, the flying camera was one of Gandara's genomelded adaptations of a winged eyeball demon. Wearing a harness, the camera-girl would stand and guide her camera for the best shot at all angles. There was barely any room for the girl, let alone a passenger hanging off of her. Add Skunk's indignant growls coming from inside her bulging hoodie, digging his sharp claws into her belly to show his displeasure with the whole indignity, Sango was glad when they finally landed.

"Here you go!" the youkai said, blond ponytails bouncing as she smiled down at Sango.

"Thank you," Sango managed to say as she unzipped her hoodie and somehow managed to detangle herself from Skunk's claws. He snapped at her, shaking his fluffy tail in agitation as he hopped down with an offended glare.

"Not a problem!" the girl called, already rising back into the sky. "You better hurry! The others are already gathered in the center, and I'll be calling the match soon! Good luck!"

Waving distractedly, for it was sweet of the girl to wish her luck---even though she frowned at the girl's last, cheerful, _"You're gonna need it!"---_Sango looked around as Skunk shook the indignity off with a flick of his striped tail. Using her astral senses, Sango noted how most of the jyaki was concentrated between those two mountains, in the valley at their base. It was a little bit away, though. Damn, this would be a trudge. Ah, well, no hope for it. Shrugging, she started walking, Skunk following behind her, still complaining with various chittering growls.

"Okay, everyone!" the girl hollered down at them, sailing by Sango and heading for the clump of youkai waiting impatiently in the valley. She amped up her mike so everyone could hear her. "Now, as you know, the preliminary matches are being fought simultaneously, though you're one of the last ones to get started. Remember the rules! The winner is the last demon standing. You're disqualified if you faint, die or surrender. Anything else goes, no holds barred---except injuring your camera-girl, of course!"

Her cheeky grin was met with various chuckles and one taunt from a giant two-headed ogre, who held an uprooted tree trunk like a club, that he wouldn't be held responsible for flung skulls when he knocked everyone's heads off. The others met his sally with sneers and jeers and one banshee-screech that made Sango's ears ring. Wow, that was nasty. She'd have to watch that one.

And more than that one. Counting several opponents that made her eyes narrow, she edged into the end of the crowd, who hardly noticed her. Their attention was all on the camera-girl, who was looking up over at another, who waved to her. Pigtails bouncing, she grinned, showing a row of pointy teeth. "Okay, everybody!"

The demons tensed.

"Let the match---" the girl paused dramatically, enjoying the moment, _"begin!" _


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I have tried to keep the various groups and matches correct, but the episodes themselves disagree at times. Any errors, though, are purely the result of my befuddled brain. I should warn the scenes are really choppy in this chapter, but I hope they're worth a good laugh or two. =) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Thirty-Seven**_

"Damme, I can't believe I lost." Chuu scratched his head in bewilderment. "Ah, but what a way to lose!" He stared dreamily after the beautiful Natsume, a demoness in an entirely different league than him. To his mind, her stunning jyaki control made the entire package all the sweeter.

"I can't believe you lost to a girl!" Rinku whined petulantly, though his eyes were drawn again and again to the cute mouse demon who had flirted with him.

"Ah, but what a girl! She's my own sheila, she is!"

"Wait until Koto hears _that_," Rinku snickered.

Chuu paused, eyes slightly bugging out at the thought. Then he shrugged fatalistically. "Ah, well, a bloke can't help where he finds love, now can he?"

The other demons smirked, knowing full well that Chuu's faithless heart might find a new target next week. He was certainly taking the whole only-one-to-lose in the preliminary rounds well, or so Jin said to Touya.

The ice apparition shrugged. Having frozen his entire group solid in less than ten minutes, he wasn't going to rub it in the tired demon's face. Chuu had done well, damn well, beating every other opponent down with joyful abandon. The demoness had only approached at the last moment, and Chuu was smart to have surrendered to her after one strike. Her power was enough that she could have killed him with one flick of her pale hand.

It was rumored Natsume was one of Raizen's old sparring partners, and one of the youkai who had thrown that great beam of jyaki-fed light into the sky, exciting every demon who'd witnessed it. There were others---though the canny ice apparition noticed they hadn't been flaunting their power like some of the other S-class demons. Playing it rather low-key, was Raizen's former group. It'd be interesting to see what they would do in the next round, when a youkai could only use their own abilities to win.

"Who's it whose gone through, eh?" Jin asked. "Ye've kept the better track than I, Touya."

"All of us, save Chuu, of course." Touya shrugged. "And Hiei and Kurama---but that was to be expected."

Jin grinned. "Aye."

"Kirin and Hokushin, that surgeon Shigure---"

"That be a creepy looking demon, no?" Jin remembered the giant ring-sword the tall surgeon used to slice through every single one of his opponents.

"Mukuro, of course, by default, since everyone who drew group seventy-four pulled out---"

Jin chuckled. "Do you fair blame them, lad?"

"And now that Shishi managed to kill that crab demon who ate him by transforming---"

"Ah, now that was a real beaut, it was!" Jin declared. "Though not near so sweet as your Rainbow Cyclone Freedom, Suzuka."

"Thank you." The golden demon preened. "It was rather beautiful, wasn't it?"

"Then who's left, eh?" Jin looked around, counting heads.

"Well, Yusuke---"

"Nope. He's just tossed every single demon out of his ring. Remember? Koto had to call it, since nobody fainted, died or surrendered.'

Jin hooted. It had been pretty funny, since the Mazoku had literally knocked every demon off of his okininju stalk, leaving only himself on the plateau and thus the winner by default. And all in less than five minutes. A thing of beauty it was, to watch.

"Man, I can't wait to fight him." Rinku shadow-punched.

"I thought you couldn't wait to fight that cute little mouse, Sasuga," Shishi dug on the lad, who turned beet-red and tried to deny his crush.

"There be only six groups left, the ones what started later." Jin ignored them.

"Including Yomi and his son," Touya added, troubled by the fact the two had drawn the same lot that would pit father and son against each other so early on.

"'Tis a real shame, it 'tis." Jin shook his head, somber. They were all uncomfortable with the reminder, and Jin snapped his fingers. "Ah, but we've still got Lily to be cheering on, yes?"

"Girl's not gone yet?" Chuu looked up in sudden interest.

"Just started, I think," Touya said, adding, "She was in a later group."

"Well, which screen is it?"

"The one there, that be on the right---the one that the little wee volcano and the cool fox are all but burning holes in, they're a'staring so hard." Jin smirked smugly.

Casting a surreptitious look for himself, Touya eyed the two watching demons speculatively, but his attention was drawn back to the screen when Chuu gasped.

"Ah, damn, but that was close! Why that bloke almost took her head off! Bastard!" Chuu raised a fist, and they all suddenly stared intently at the screen.

ooOOOoo

Holy shit, that had been close! Sango dove out of the way as the giant ogre swept his tree trunk across the plain. She wasn't his intended target---he'd dismissed her as unimportant, going after the giant whatever-it-was that screeched and snapped back at the two-headed ogre with teeth as long and sharp as her sword.

Man, this was getting ugly. She'd better hurry, or there would be more than one youkai's blood splashed across the ground. She couldn't explain why she was so loathed to see that, but this tournament, fought so eagerly and bloodily, shouldn't be about that. Not really. It should be about fighting fair---though she was hardly going to be fighting fair, now was she?

Sango frowned, but the reaching claws she barely escaped made up her mind. The bat demon had decided she was probably the weakest, and thus the easiest to take out. He made a strafing run for her, wicked talons held out, and licked his teeth.

"I'm going to enjoy eating you, human!" he said, vicious glow to his red eyes.

_That_ did it! Compunctions now gone, Sango crossed her arms in front of her, closing her eyes as she drew the wind sharply to her. She felt it singing along her veins, tingling across her skin as her short hair started whipping around her head in a fanning wave as the wind came with a shriek. She rose slightly, her body buoyant, and opened her eyes, bled now into the pupil-less ruby orbs of the Wind Sorceress whose heart beat inside her chest.

"Is that all you got?" the bat demon taunted, flying above the shrieking vortex of her concentrated winds. "Before I eat you, girl, I'm going to---"

Skunk, standing just in front of her, bristled. Raising his stiff tail, his eyes gleamed as bloodily as Sango's as she smiled.

"Now!" she cried, and let the wind burst out of her in all directions, feeding her own jyaki into it so that it exploded. _"Mass Air-Strike Skunk Fart Explosion!"_

ooOOOoo

Jin blinked.

"Cor!" Chuu said, stunned as all the rest of them watching the scene unfold. "Is what I think just happened just happened?"

The viewing room grew eerily silent as everyone watched in horrified fascination. It was so quiet they could now here the choking screams and anguished cries as all the youkai on Platform 120 toppled over one by one. The last to fall was the giant, two-headed ogre, who barely saved himself from being bonked on the head by his own tree trunk as he fell right at the feet of the slight girl wearing an incongruous pink hoodie and blue jeans. Seeing the last one faint dead away, the girl moved her hands over her head, bringing a fresh breeze to waft away the last of the stench. It rose in an incredibly puky shade of green rot, like a putrid cloud. The fug finally dissipated as she swept the cleansing breeze through it.

Silence reigned. The flying camera-girl was too busy looking green herself to call the match. Draped over her handle-bars, she desperately tried to regain her composure as Koto's voice came over the video feed, demanding to know what the hell happened.

"Um…" The poor girl wiped her eyes on her bare shoulder and coughed. Even her blond pigtails looked a little green. "Um…"

"Bleeding Christ," Chuu said, his heart-felt words for all of them. "Girl's gone and knocked out her entire competition!"

The skunk's tail twitched.

Koto's face suddenly appeared in the screen, her blue-green eyes wide as she said into her mike, "Oh, my, folks! It looks like the wind-hanyou has literally blown away the competition, winning Group 120 and going on to the first round with her incredible use of a massive stink bomb that's made all the others faint dead away! Poor Iri is still trying to recover---she claims she's never smelled anything so awful! I thought it wasn't polite to fart on your competition! I know a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, but that's taking it a little far, don't you think, Yuda?"

She turned to her co-host, but the elderly demon was too busy laughing his ass off to reply.

ooOOOoo

"Holy fart, Anei! What the hell was that?"

Sango blushed as Yusuke rushed up to her, brown eyes gleaming with hilarity. Only he could come up with that particular oath. "Uh, hi, Yusuke."

"Gods, that is what this whole competition is about!" Yusuke suddenly threw his arms around her, hugging her hard. Sango mmphed into his broad chest as he squeezed all the breath out of her. Yusuke only laughed, and wiped the tears from his eyes. "You should have seen everyone's faces! Why, I thought I had blown my group away, but _you…!"_

Rather pink for the reminder, Sango shrugged. "Well, it wasn't me, really. More Skunk."

"Skunk. Oh, that's rich! Where is he?" Yusuke stared down at their feet, where Skunk chittered. Sitting back on his hunches, the little demon eyed the former Spirit Detective when he dropped to one knee. "Hey, there, fella! I gotta hand it to ya, you really know how to let one rip!"

Skunk looked smug. He even let the Mazoku scratch him behind the ears in due homage for his prowess.

"Watch it there, Yusuke!" Chuu warned as the others came streaming in behind the big demon. "Little bugger's got a big bite!"

Yusuke laughed as Skunk playfully pounced on him, willingly rolling around in the grass as the little demon abandoned his usual dignity for a good frolic.

"Aye, me, now that there's not a sight I'd yet be expecting," Jin said, slowly settling down to the earth, his dying winds rustling the dark bangs across Sango's forehead. Turning to her, he threw out a long arm and drew her to him, hugging her hard but quick. "Ah, Lily, lass, you did me proud, you did! I couldn't have done better meself, even with me own Tornado Fists!"

"That was _awesome!"_ Rinku said with all the fervency of a young boy.

"Quite impressive, I will admit," Shishi allowed, and Suzuka elbowed him in the ribs.

"More than impressive, Sango," he said. "It was _beautiful!"_

ooOOOoo

The next few hours were a blur, as she was hoisted on Chuu's shoulders and Skunk was picked up by Yusuke, and they all went off to celebrate. Perhaps it was the beer---which seemed more potent that she'd remembered. As a lightweight, she'd kept herself to two, but still her head felt like it was floating a few feet above her shoulders. Yusuke and Jin had both offered to take her back early to the hotel---as Chuu and a few of the others intended on staying until closing or the barkeep threw them out---and she'd gratefully taken them up on the offer. Skunk had already sauntered off earlier that evening after accepting a dish of milk as his just due, and she had just parted with the two demons, who would have walked her to her door if she hadn't insisted she was fine, she could make it down the hall, at least, on her own!

Laughing, she waved as the elevator doors closed on the two demons. Yusuke had Jin in a friendly headlock, and the irascible wind demon was howling "Not fair, Urameshi!" as the doors binged shut. Turning away, Sango shook her head. Pulling her keycard out of her back pocket, she suddenly looked up, eyes wide and smile dying at the handsome young man slowly walking towards her.

Kurama.

She hadn't seen him since before that night. Her heart thudded loud in her ears as she looked up at him. Gods, he was beautiful. His long hair was like a living flame around his shoulders, and she'd forgotten how tall he was. Or how strong his features, or how green his eyes.

"Hello, Sango," he said softly.

"Hi," she said, fairly evenly, though she sounded a little too breathless. _*Damn it.*_

"You did well," he said, and oh gods, it hurt to hear the warmth in his voice, for it wasn't in his eyes---which were cool, distant, all emotion hidden behind a bland expression of polite inquiry.

It covered her heart in ice. She could only nod distantly, refusing to let him see her hurt.

"Well, then," he said as the awkward silence extended too long. She nodded again, eyes sliding away. His hand half-rose, and then dropped. "Good night," was all he said, his voice soft and full of something she couldn't name. Nodding again, she slid past him, fumbling open her door and slipping inside as he stood there silent, back to her.

The door clicked shut behind her. Sliding down the cool wood, Sango felt her bottom hit the carpet with a soft thud. Drawing her knees up, she laid her head on them, and maybe it was the alcohol and maybe it was his coldness, and maybe it was just she was a stupid fool who should know better, but she silently cried.

And hated him for it.

ooOOOoo

As luck would have it, the last one she wanted to encounter after last night was the next she did. Having spent the day in her room, hoping to avoid just that, Sango should not have been surprised when fickle Fate decided it would be fun to play with her. It couldn't have picked a worse time, but that was always the way it worked, wasn't it?

The first round of the main tournament was being held just after sunset, giving the day to those participants who might need to heal themselves from any injuries sustained in yesterday's preliminaries. Sango had spent the day resting and recharging her energies, knowing that this round would be the first real test of her abilities. She wouldn't be using a weapon like Skunk this round. This one was hers, and hers alone.

They'd been told to report to the stadium floor just before sunset, when the groups would be announced, the 128 winners of yesterday's preliminaries having already been divided into four main groups of sixteen. There they would be divided into pairs, fighting one on one, whittling the numbers down until only the last two remained to fight in the sixth, and final, round of the tournament.

Having belted on her sword and deliberately left her other weapons behind, Sango had given a last pat to Skunk---who'd barely raised a lowered lid to glare at her for the unwelcome interruption of his afternoon nap---before leaving. Pensive and on edge, she'd distractedly made her way through the hotel and down to the underground network of tunnels that the fighters could use to avoid the large crowds above. As luck would have it, the tunnel was deserted, or so she thought, until _his_ harsh voice pierced the stifling quiet like a sword plunged straight into her very heart.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, hanyou?"

Sango stiffened.

That voice. Gods, she hated that voice. So biting in its scorn. _Damn _him.

Damn them both, actually. She hadn't been the one to leave, after all. And she wasn't the needy weakling she'd been back then. Her hands tightened until the knuckles stood out in sharp relief, and she refused to turn at his deliberate baiting.

"What do you care?" she growled, angry that he would dare, after so many months, say something so scathing and obnoxious. Tossing her head, she strode on---and then whirled, sword slipping free with a scrape to meet his naked blade with a ringing clang.

"You bastard!" she hissed, eyes bleeding as crimson as his that he dared to attack her. "What the hell do you think _you're_ doing?"

She threw him off with a grunt of effort, sweat beading her brow. He was so _strong_. But then, he'd always been stronger than her, though he seemed even more so now. The darkness of his powerful demonic aura fairly seethed around him, the frigid, purple-black flames spilling across her astral senses to send her spiritual sense screaming. Clamping down on her survival instincts---which told her to fucking _run!_---Sango refused to back down. She wouldn't give the little bastard the satisfaction.

But oh, god, did it hurt to see him after so very long. She'd forgotten how strong a presence he had. How he always seemed so much bigger than his physical stature, so overwhelming to each and every one of her senses. The wild disarray of his spiky black hair, the white strands threading among the black like frost edging a night-riven river bank. The solid strength of his body, even obscured by the concealing folds of his long coat. The utter masculinity in his hard features, the burning glower of his piercing, bloody gaze. So hot and cold all at the same time, a fire whose icy breath could burn away her weak, traitorous heart with just the coldness of his enigmatic gaze.

A gaze whose heat as it flicked down her body and then back up to meet her angry brown eyes made her flush with fury, for it was something he'd made perfectly clear he wanted nothing to do with when she had needed him so desperately. Her emotions tumbled over one another, and she abruptly realized that while she might have deluded herself into thinking that she understood his reasons for why he had left, she'd just been lying to herself. The pain and hurt of his rejection burned hot within her, and she couldn't stand to see him now, like _this_, with the contempt and desire so hot in his eyes.

"Do you know what this tournament _is?" _He suddenly, viscously, swiped at her with his sword, and she met it again with a two-handed grip on her blade while he used only one, his movements so casual in their arrogant contempt. "You think you, a human, stand any chance against demons like Yomi or Mukuro? They will eat you alive."

"I'm not as weak as you remember," she snarled back, attacking him this time with a furious set of wicked cuts learned by the old sword-master Master Sen had brought in to help train her. Surprised, he was put on the defensive, and elation filled her as she pushed him back---once, twice, three times.

His eyes narrowed, and the blazing fire in their depths was a dark promise that chilled her even as it pissed her off. He suddenly twisted, his speed incredible. Faster than before, even with her own increased reflexes, she quickly found their positions reversed. He made a circular motion with his sword, one she tried to predict and follow, but he reversed it so quickly it worked against her. Her sword went flying just a second before she found herself slammed back against the wall, his hard body pressing hers into the unyielding stone. Her eyes widened, the crimson ire evaporating as they darkened in astonishment. His breath came in harsh pants, hot against her cheek as she deliberately turned her head away, refusing to meet his triumphant sneer.

_"Damn you," _she whispered, breath short and heart tightening painfully in her chest.

His head suddenly turned, his red eyes narrowing as he growled, a sound that made her shiver. She felt the powerful auras of more demons approaching as Hiei abruptly stepped back, his red eyes raking over her with cool calculation before he abruptly disappeared. Leaving her to the indignity of calming her ragged breath and going and retrieving her damn sword before Jin and the others caught sight of her and had questions she didn't want to answer.

_Damn_ him. Damn them _both! _But she wouldn't, couldn't, let them interfere with what she had set out to do. She would use this anger, use it to her benefit, increase her strength and prove that little bastard wrong. She'd win, on her own merit this time, now that she didn't have to contend with her unwillingness to commit wholesale murder on forty-eight demons. But the anger would help in the fight ahead---her dark eyes promised that!

ooOOOoo

Even Yusuke's rousing speech---about keeping it clean, and that he didn't know if he would even win, but hoped to meet everyone again in three years, which you couldn't do if you were dead or killed off your opponents---at the beginning of the main tournament couldn't turn the anger from Sango's mind. She fairly seethed with it, though she let none of it show on her set expression. She was lucky no one she knew was in Group D with her, for she didn't know if she could keep up the façade under close scrutiny.

Most of her friends were in group A, including Yusuke, Jin, and Shishiwakimaru, along with the monk Hokushin and the favorite, Yomi---whose singular defeat of his son in the preliminaries still sat heavily on Sango's mind. The Beautiful Suzuka was in group B with Touya, the ice apparition, and Kurama, while Rinku had drawn Group C with Hiei and Mukuro and her still-loyal general, Kirin. Sango didn't care, not really, just glad that she wouldn't have to face either of them. That's why she'd searched the board so closely for their names, though her eyes had widened as she read the names of other demons she knew. But again, she could be mistaken, they might not be who she thought they were. But if they were, than she was glad that Shigure---if he was the surgeon---and Kouga---if he was the wolf prince---were both in Group B.

She'd only have to contend with fifteen other demons out for her---and each other's---blood. Not to mention that disgusting lizard demon who'd slunk up to her while the preliminary lots were being drawn two days ago. Sango had no clue how _he_ had made it through, though he might have pulled a trick like hers with Skunk. The preliminaries didn't have to be won on brute strength alone, but with wits and ingenuity. The first round of the main tournament, however, would separate the weak from the strong on an individual's own merit.

Too bad she wasn't paired with that damn lizard in the first round. She wouldn't mind kicking that knowing smirk from his fat lips. He even had the gall to put two of his claws up in a V and wiggle his forked tongue between them in an obscene gesture, making the other demons snigger as Sango stiffened.

"'Ere now, put that tongue back in your head, you icky worm!" A blonde demoness in a skin-tight maroon leotard and bright blue spandex suddenly flung a bottle at the lizard's head. It smashed against the wall, littering shards in its wake as the lizard reared back, pink eyes bulging in surprise.

"Now, now, Koku…" An enormous mountain of a demon placed a placating red palm on the beautiful blonde's shoulder.

"Pffst! You…you leave me alone, you big drunk!" The demoness shrugged the giant's hand off with a dark scowl. And then her eyes crossed as she hiccupped.

"But, sweetie…" The red giant tried to grab her but she pushed away from him, steps unsteady as one hand covered her mouth and she paled. Sango watched in fascination as her cheeks bulged unattractively just before she let out a loud, distinctive belch.

"Oooh, much better," she slurred, and then fell over into the red demon's waiting arms. He casually picked her up like a child---he being so much larger than her---and she glared at whatever he murmured. "Don't tell me to lay off the booze, you big brick! And quit calling me your wifey-poo! I _hate_ that name!"

She swung at his horned head, missing, and turned a piercing golden glare on everyone staring at them, gesturing with a succinct finger. The other contestants in Group D surreptitiously edged away from the crazy pair.

The loudspeakers crackled and squealed, and Sango winced as the enthusiastic announcer's voice chirped over the room. "Good evening, folks! Isn't this a great night for bloodshed? Let me hear you roar! That's it! That's the spirit! Koto, here, ready and willing as ever to relay the deliciously gory details!

"Now, each match to be held in the first round of the Great Tournament will be fought simultaneously. One pair from each group will fight, with each match's starting time slightly staggered for your viewing pleasure! Now, would the first contestants please take their places. The first match of Group A is Yusuke Urameshi versus Nekotama! Fought on the plateau bud of an okininju stalk, each fighter has an equal chance of using the diverse terrain to his advantage…"

Sango let the cat demon's perky voice fade into the background as she watched a white-clad Yusuke approach the enormous cat demon with his signature smirk on the screen. Both participants would start off facing each other on the main staging ring built in the exact center of the okininju's wide plateau. Her eyes slid to the right, to the next screen, where an arrogant Suzuka was stepping up against a giant beast with six arms that he triumphantly raised into the air like he'd already won. Even as Koto called Yusuke's match to start, the third and fourth teams out of Groups C and D were entering their own rings.

Sango's eyes snapped to the first screen as Yusuke's opponent morphed into a formidable six-story tall giant with elongating claws. Yusuke barely avoided the first launch of those deadly talons, slipping by the second to solidly land a kick square on the youkai's ginormous head. Sango grinned as the cat's yellow eyes rolled up and he fell over, his body shrinking as he passed out at the ex-detective's feet. Yusuke raised his fist into the air, and Koto called the match in his favor.

Poor Suzuka wasn't so lucky. There were just too many arms for him to contend with, and his rainbow attacks slid off of the beast's armored shell, casting a beautiful glittering display but doing little damage. The match was finally called when the beast squeezed the breath right out of the poor blond, causing him to black out. Suzuka got some revenge, though, for the winner was booed loudly by the audience---mainly egged on by his friend Shishi, who always knew how to work a crowd.

Loud snores from the corner of the room made Sango turn in surprise as she watched the giant red demon gently prop his passed out wife against the corner so he could report for his own battle, in the second match of Group D. Unbelievably, the blonde slept through the entire fight, which the good-natured, two-horned giant---named Enki---easily won. By then, the third match of Group A had started, and Sango watched Hokushin take out Shishi in his signature neck-wrap after a long battle against the handsome demon's chilling Banshee sword. She was saddened to see the imp defeated, but as Koto commented wryly, he had plenty of adoring fangirls just itching to offer him comfort.

Her attention was taken up by the third match of Group B, which pitted Touya against a handsome, blue-haired youkai named Kuju. Enki had returned to sit next to his snoring wife and grin up at the screen, taking friendly wagers that his friend Kuju and the huge wolverine Sango had met on the first day---now fighting the third match of C---would win. Sango remembered how the tall wolverine had casually mentioned that he had once been sparring buddies with King Raizen, and she wondered at the enormous power radiating off the red mountain. She watched the screen warily, worrying for Touya against such an opponent as Kuju, but he seemed to be holding his own, and it looked like the battle would go on for some time.

She saw Rinku defeated by a young mouse demon, who he then chased around the platform, trying to give a congratulatory kiss. The boy seemed more excited that the young demoness had won than the fact that he had lost to her. It took the camera-girls some time to chase the pair off of the stalk so that the next match could take place. Sango felt her heart stop as the short, dark form ascended the platform with a cool look. She deliberately ignored that screen, eyes only snapping back when the winner---Hiei---was called, with a disappointed aside from Koto at how quickly the apparition had defeated his opponent.

But then it was Sango's name being called over the loudspeaker to report for the fifth match of Group D, and she resolutely turned her mind from everything but the battle ahead. Squaring her shoulders and raising her chin, her eyes suddenly flicked over to the red demon, Enki. He gave her a toothy grin and a thumbs up. Surprised, she nodded her uncertain thanks as she walked out of the crowded room, the lizard making a snippy comment that made her eyes bleed.

She'd show those arrogant bastards just what the hell she was now capable of!

ooOOOoo

The indignity of hitching a ride with another half-naked camera-girl was at least offset by the fact that she didn't have a squirming Skunk digging his claws into her belly. Still, this one wore even less clothing than the last. And boy, did the hoots from the watching audience about how she had to cling to the pretty, brown-haired girl as they flew up to the top of the okininju stalk have Sango's ears burning.

It didn't help that the camera-girl said cheerfully, "Hey, you _are_ kind of cute. Maybe we can meet up after the first rounds are over?"

"Ah…no, thank you," Sango said, uncomfortably aware of how her arms were wrapped tight around the girl's waist as they flew. The girl pouted, but then grinned as she directed the winged eyeball to set them down on the stage.

"That's okay, not all of us are strictly-dickly." Sango was glad to let go and have firm ground back beneath her feet. Her cheeks flamed at the brunette's final sally as she rose back up into the air. "Let me know if you ever change your mind! I have one helluva talented tongue."

She waggled it, and giggled flirtatiously at Sango's stunned expression.

"Now _that_ I wouldn't mind paying to see." The toothy grin of her giant adversary made Sango's dark eyes flash. Stupid perverts. If she had to listen to one more arrogant male demon, she'd kick their teeth right down their damn throats---

"Ah, but I don't know if there will be much to see once I'm through with you, girlie."

_Girlie_.

"You are a rather luscious morsel." He licked his chops. _Licked_ his _chops_. Gods, she was getting tired of that!

"I wouldn't mind eating you---"

_Real-ly. How nice._

"Before I _eat_ you. Haha. Get it? I wouldn't mind _eating_ you before I _eat_ you! Heh-heh-heh!"

How sweet. How really fucking sweet. And oh my god---he couldn't be doing what she _thought_ he was doing. He wouldn't be that _disgusting!_

"Or I could give you a taste of this," he taunted, cupping his groin as his eyes glittered. "You have some nice lips, girlie. I can just see them wrapped around my---"

That was _it!_

Sango rounded on him, blood in her eye as her fist curled. The demon took an involuntarily step backwards as Koto's voice thundered, "Let the match begin!"

ooOOOoo

Yusuke's right eyebrow kept twitching as he stared at the screen, his stunned expression matched by all the other guys watching the wind-changeling thoroughly kick the giant ogre's ass. Holy shit, he thought Keiko was bad, but this…this was…pure fucking amazing holy shit _awesome!_

He'd never seen the slayer fight like that, even in the Forest of Fools, with the blood-madness upon her. He could hear the ogre's jaw break when she jumped on his right knee to snap-kick him in the head. She literally ran up the length of him, hands striking a series of flat-handed chops that had the ogre shrieking like a girl as she rendered his arms useless, finally cracking his instep with one grounded pink tennis shoe as a last insult. She finished it off with an elegant, side-ways-turning type kick---kind of like a ballerina move---that sent the broken wreck of the ogre flying back several feet, creating a furrow across the churned earth as he slammed bodily into a tree.

Even more hilarious was the pinecone, shaken loose as his huge body slammed into the tree, plopped right down on his thick head with a loud "_clunk!" _The demon's eyes rolled up and he sagged over. Crossing her arms, the dark-haired girl whirled, anger hardly abated by the bloody glint in her eye as the match was called in her favor.

"Remind me, Kurama, to never piss her off," Yusuke said in awe.

Kurama only smiled tightly, his green eyes enigmatic.

ooOOOoo

Mukuro watched the girl thoughtfully, her single blue eye drawn away only as the fire demon finally approached, his red eyes cold as he caught her gaze with his unwavering stare. Hiei had missed the entire fight between Sango and that buffoon, which had taken all of three minutes---the length of time it took for the apparition to return from his own match.

"The first round is going well," she said as he joined her.

"Hn."

She turned her eye back to the screen, hiding the hurt his indifference always caused her. "I'm glad. It means you and I will get the chance to fight all the sooner."

"It couldn't come fast enough," he said, red eyes smoldering as they cut up to hers before flicking back away. It was _that_ look that made the former king's heart tighten in a painful way. Would it, could it, be enough? She didn't know, and wouldn't, until they finally fought each other. Her heart felt heavy, the knowledge that she loved the fire apparition kept locked deep inside. Could she love him enough to do what she must in order to free him from the darkness? Could he, would he, love _her_ enough to do the same? Again, she wouldn't know until they got the chance to fight, one on one.

She hid a reflexive shiver. It excited her even as it frightened her. Involuntarily, her blue eye met the steady gaze of her former general. As always, Kirin was there to offer his silent support, even with just a glance. He knew how much this tournament meant to her, and how little it had to do with who actually won Makai in the end. So long as she won what she wanted, needed, to help heal the darkness inside herself. That was all that mattered.

ooOOOoo

Kouga stared, stunned, at the screen. The girl's picture flashed up with an "O" atop, showing she was the winner of Match D-28 as her opponent's darkened with an "X" above it to show he'd lost.

He'd know that angry glint anywhere. Even with red eyes instead of pine-bark brown. Even with hair cut short at the chin and her bangs all tangled across her forehead. Although he'd never traveled with the Inu-gumi, he'd seen the taiji-ya get that same evil glint just before slapping the snot out of that damn hentai houshi with the wandering hand.

He didn't know how, he didn't know why, and he didn't even care, truth be told. But somehow, someway, that damn slayer had shown up five hundred fucking years after everyone thought she'd died at the last battle. And here she was, in _Makai_ of all places!

Kagome. Did she know? How could she? The miko thought her friend was dead, as she'd thought they all were. Boy, was she surprised when he'd shown up with the two meatheads in tow---young Shippou having gotten word to him through the grapevine that the beautiful girl he'd once loved had returned to her rightful era with that stinking mutt in tow. Course, now that Kouga had his sweet Ayame, he was able to tolerate that mangy Mutt-face a little more than in the past, though Inuyasha still wasn't good enough for his sweet Kagome.

Kouga coughed. Well, not "his" sweet Kagome. Ayame would castrate him if he even _thought_ that way about the miko---although how could he, since she was like a kid to him now that he'd aged five centuries and she'd stayed the same, luscious piece of---

_*Jailbait,* _his treacherous mind supplied, somehow in Ayame's voice with Ayame's green-eyed glower. Kouga paled. His mate had a temper to match that red hair of hers, and he wasn't even going to think what she would do to him if she caught him sniffing after the miko again. The under-eighteen, thoroughly-in-love-with-her-smelly-dog miko.

But damn if he was going to sit around here with such important news. He'd quickly kick that sissy-looking, red-haired fox's ass and then he'd have the day free to go tell Kagome the good news, since the second round in the Demon World Tournament wouldn't be held until the next evening. Good thing his match was about to come up. And not for too much longer, since the sixth match of Group A had just been announced, between some loser named Jin and a bigger loser named Suiketsu. That meant the seventh matches (his own against that guy Kurama, whoever _he_ was) would be starting soon---if that damn ice apparition and that blue-haired mongrel Kuju would fucking hurry it up!


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you for all the awesome reviews, they have me really giddy. That, or the wine, LOL! Again, I have taken some awesome lines from the anime, and bolded them to show they aren't mine. (Fate) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Thirty-Eight**_

Sango seethed the entire way back to Group D's waiting room. Being ferried down from the okiniju stalk by an enthusiastic camera-girl---thankfully _not_ the one who'd tried to pick her up---did nothing to help her frustration. Nor did the surreptitious inching away by that stupid lizard once she returned. Although that was gratifying, as was the punch he got upside the head when he got too close to a seemingly-unconscious Koku.

Enki only grinned, patting his wife's shoulder and easily avoiding her reflexive backhand as she muttered something about "damn flies" before rolling over to resume snoring. Catching Sango's eye, his grin widened. She watched warily as he hitched himself up off the floor to come over to her.

"That was pretty impressive," he said affably, crossing his giant red arms. His girth was easily her height, and he towered a good four feet above her. Clad in a dirty wife-beater, grey pants and scuffed work boots, he incongruously sported a goatee and a short crop of silky brown curls behind the two white horns that projected straight from either temple. His yellow eyes were gentle, his smile worn easily.

"Thank you," Sango said, still stiff with anger and awkward around such a strange demon.

"You'd think men would learn." He grinned down at her sharp look, and winked. "I'm married; I know."

Sango's mouth quirked, the bloody tint to her brown eyes dissolving as she glanced over at his snoring wife. She bet Koku packed quite a wallop. "How long have you been married?" she asked curiously.

"About five hundred years." He sighed gustily. "Took me two hundred just to convince her to agree."

"That's…a long time," Sango finished lamely, then blushed for being so rude.

Enki only laughed, a great, booming sound that drew everyone's attention. He ignored them, pulling out a pipe and taking his time to pack it as he settled himself on the floor beside her. Sitting down, his head was now a little lower than hers while standing. He took his time lighting the tobacco before drawing a long drag. He slowly let it back out with a puffy row of perfect smoke rings. He finally resumed their conversation with a quirk of his brow. "Well, Koku, you see, was in love with another demon for a long time. Still is, actually, though I don't mind. I know she loves me just as much, in her own way." He cast a fond look at his oblivious wife, and blew more rings.

Unsure how she could reply, Sango glanced at the television screens and froze. Jin had just been knocked clean off his feet by one punch from the ugly demon in the ridiculous purple beret who faced him in the sixth match of Group A. Her eyes widened as the demon taunted the wind apparition, who claimed the punch wasn't his best. **"No, sir, that was just an introduction. An appetizer to my main course of pain."**

Jin, being Jin, was delighted, and all but dancing as his blue eyes lit up at the challenge. Sango could hear the whistle of the wind as he called it, his red hair flying around him as he grinned.

"Good old Suiketsu. Always had a good turn of phrase." Enki smiled indulgently around his pipe.

"A friend of yours?" Sango asked dryly, and the mountain chuckled.

"Yeah, you could say that. We used to spar a bit, back in the day."

"With Raizen?" she asked sharply, brown eyes narrowed on the screen as Jin flew straight up into the air, Suiketsu abruptly vanishing to follow.The camara-girl strained to keep up with them, but the view wavered, focusing in and out as the winged eyeball struggled to gain height. Their evasive exchange of hard punches finally came into sight just as Suiketsu flew back down, Jin giving chase. The camara-girl cursed, and the picture suddenly flipped to another camera, who rode Jin's tailwinds as Koto's enthusiastic voice spurred them on.

"Ah, those was good times," Enki said, closing his eyes with a dreamy smile. Sango's eyes flicked over to him, and she missed the next exchange between the two fighters, but it looked like Jin had gotten a good strike in with his Tornado Fist. She smiled, remembering how he had showed it off to her against Yusuke so long ago. She stiffened, though, when she saw how quickly Suiketsu recovered from the blow.

The fight quickly turned against the Wind Master. Suiketsu was a sadistic jerk, even taunting Jin that he would destroy his dreams of fighting Yusuke. Jin, having used most of his jyaki, could not stand up to Suiketsu's brutal, unceasing attack. Sango watched in dawning horror as the wind user was beat senseless, the sound of his bones cracking under the fury of Suiketsu's jyaki-fired fists.

"Wow. Suiketsu hasn't gotten that personal in hundreds of years," Enki said thoughtfully. "Wonder what's got him so riled up."

"Riled up?" Sango grit out, her hands ineffectually fisting at her sides as she watched the brutal beating. Enki quirked a brow at her reaction.

"You're young, aren't you?" he asked, then grinned. "After a few thousand years, you get used to that kind of beating. Happens all the time between friends. And Suiketsu's going rather easy on him---you broke that ogre worse than this."

"He's a demon," she growled, red eyes on the screen. "He'll heal."

"As will your friend," the big man said softly.

Startled, Sango's eyes flicked to the youkai, who only pursed his lips around his pipe as he crossed his red arms over his big barrel of a body and closed his eyes. A smoke ring drifted up past his head.

There was a gasp from the watching demons, murmurs of awe rising as Jin slowly, determinedly, got back to his feet. He spat blood as he snarled that he was just getting started. Suiketsu stared at him in surprise, and then glared. Taking a running start, the demon's curled right fist headed straight for Jin's rigid position. Sango stiffened, realizing something was wrong---Jin wasn't even trying to avoid the blow. But Suiketsu's fist stopped mere inches from Jin's face, and the demon straightened with a sudden grin. He shouted up to the camera-girl, claiming Jin had just passed out, standing up.

Opening his eyes with a chuckle, Enki smiled as Sango brushed past him, already heading out the door at a dead run.

ooOOOoo

She met Suiketsu in the tunnels. Jin was draped over the demon's shoulder, and he met her glare with a grin. "This yours?" he asked, his rough voice teasing.

"Yes," she said, voice clipped.

"Don't look too good right now, girl, but he'll be all right in a day or two," Suiketsu reassured her, his gaze shifting past her as Chuu and Rinku came barreling down the hall.

"What's that you're doing there, mate?" Chuu demanded, absently adding as Rinku nearly plowed into him from behind, "Watch where you're going, bledger."

"Ah, the welcoming committee." Suiketsu grinned sardonically. "I'm taking him to the hospital."

"Well, that's good on you, mate, but we can take it from here," Chuu said, blue eyes narrowing.

"Wow, Jin sure looks like shit," Rinku said ingeniously.

"Thanks." Suiketsu grinned.

"Watch that mouth, Rinku, or it'll be soap again for dinner." Chuu scowled.

"Better soap than beer," the boy muttered under his breath as Chuu absently clocked him one upside the head. "Ow!"

Sango couldn't believe this. "Uh---Jin?" she pointedly reminded, and Chuu nodded.

"Right. Sorry, sheila." He gently accepted Jin's unconscious body from the other demon.

"He fought well," Suiketsu said, a warm glint in his sardonic eyes. "Really well. I haven't had a fight like that in years. Tell Jin when he wakes up I expect a rematch and that I'll make sure to settle it with Raizen's heir for him."

Chuu raised a thick brow. "You mean Yusuke?"

"Yeah." The demon smiled wryly, his gaze lingering on Jin. "Me and the wind user have a lot in common. Hope there's no hard feelings, but I have to win just as much as he."

"No worries, mate," Chuu said with a short nod. "Maybe we'll drink on it later, eh?"

"I'd like that." Suiketsu smirked, and then turned to leave. Sango watched, brow furrowed. She would never really understand demons. Perhaps it was their ability to heal so quickly, but she'd never understand how easily they could forgive a beating like that. But then again, it just might be a guy thing. Shrugging uneasily, she anxiously followed Chuu.

ooOOOoo

Jin wasn't the only one of their friends recovering in the hospital, though Shishi was already being discharged---much to the disappointment of the pretty young nurses---as they checked Jin in. Shishi used his influence with the staff to get them into a nice room, where they were soon joined by Touya, who was brought in by the handsome, blue-haired demon who had defeated him not long after in the eleventh match of B. The youkai---Kuju---lingered to make sure Touya would be all right, exchanging a few idle words with Shishi and Suzuka, who---still recovering himself---had wandered over to see what was going on.

There was not much the hospital could do for the two injured demons but let them rest and recover as their bodies naturally healed. With both youkai put to bed, there was nothing but to let them sleep, though Sango was still anxious over how low both Jin and Touya's energy levels were. The doctor hardly seemed concerned, however, and said he would be by in a few hours to check on them again. Taking a seat between the two beds, Sango refused to leave, even when the others made motions to go grab a bite to eat, as Rinku was starving.

"They'll be all right, Sango," Chuu said, laying a compassionate hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you come with us, eh? Looks like you could use a good, stiff drink. That'll cheer you right up, sheila."

"No, I---" Sango stiffened as she heard a sardonic voice outside the room greeting Kuju, who had remained talking with the others just outside. Suiketsu had come by to see how Jin was doing now that the evening's excitement was over, the first round of the main tournament having finally wrapped up. It was a nice gesture on the youkai's part, but Sango was still uncomfortable around the tall lizard. And that purple beret was just ridiculous.

"Looks like we all made it." Crossing his arms, the tall demon leaned against the wall and grinned slyly at Kuju, who smirked. "Even your sister, Natsume."

"Damme, that's right! You're my beautiful Natsume's twin brother, ain't you?" Chuu beamed as Rinku shook his head.

Kuju raised a brow. "Aren't you the demon who got his ass kicked in the prelims by my sister?"

"Too right, mate," Chuu agreed, a faint blush staining his grizzled cheeks as Shishi and Suzuka rolled their eyes and Rinku made a gagging noise.

"Well, isn't this a nice little reunion."

They all turned in surprise at the wry comment, and Rinku shouted, "Yusuke!"

"Hey, guys." Yusuke pulled himself up from his one-shoulder prop against the door jam, and distractedly grinned as the others greeted him, nodding to Kuju and Suiketsu as if he already knew them. He came over to Sango. "They gonna be all right?"

"That's what the doctor said," she replied with an uncomfortable shrug. She'd forgotten how penetrating those brown eyes could be as they flicked over her.

"You look tired," he said sotto-voice, and Sango pushed a stray strand behind her ear and shrugged.

"I'm fine."

Yusuke snorted, but let it go. "You should know that Kurama and Hiei made it through."

She refused to look at him, reaching out to smooth a nonexistent wrinkle on Touya's sheet as she inquired too casually, "I saw Hiei. Kurama---he wasn't injured, was he?"

"Nope. Though it got close there for a moment, until that stupid wolf blundered right into that sticky plant the fox grew. Boy, was he pissed. Tried to fry it off with a flare of energy, but that damn plant just ate it up. The wolf basically passed out from jyaki expenditure---since his stubborn ass refused to stop trying. Hokushin said he'll be out for a couple of days recovering." Yusuke smirked. "Gotta hand it to the fox, he knew just how to use that wolf's stubborn pride against him. I swear Kurama had the match all figured out before he even stepped inside the ring."

"That sounds like Kurama," Sango said lightly, still not looking at the former detective.

Yusuke suddenly touched her arm, drawing her attention back up to him. He demanded quietly, brown eyes frank, "Sango, what the hell happened between you two?"

"I---nothing," she lied, and was thankfully spared going any further when Chuu clapped Yusuke on the shoulder.

"Hey, Yusuke, we're going out for a midnight snack, seeing as it's getting on, and Rinku's about ready to eat his own yoyo. Come on, and I'll buy you a celebratory drink."

"You're on." Yusuke grinned, punching the big demon in the shoulder.

"You coming, sheila?" Chuu invited, and Sango shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she demurred, avoiding Yusuke's too-knowing gaze. "I think I'll just stay here and---"

"Ah, they'll be all right for the night. Shouldn't be waking any time before noon," Chuu reassured her, but Sango only shook her head, thanking him anyway. "Well, if you're sure…"

"I am," she said, smiling. "Go on, you guys, before all the good seats at the bar are taken."

Chuu looked startled. "Ah, damn, that wouldn't be good. Come on, bledger! Hurry your ass up!" The big demon soon herded everyone out of the room, and it was quiet, except for the occasional beep of the monitors connected to the two youkai.

Sango watched the familiar lightning play out across the dark skies as the night slowly waned. One of the nurses came by to check on the patients, and kindly offered her a blanket. Taking it, Sango curled up on the padded chair and laid her head on her bent arm. She couldn't say why she felt the need to stay with them, but it was quiet here, and peacefully soothing to her troubled thoughts. She could push them away for a time, focusing on her friends as she maintained her needless vigil. Perhaps it was just that she had friends she could now care about, which was comforting in its own way. So she stayed, watching the silent lightning flicker across the dark sky through the window until her eyes slowly closed and eventually she slept.

ooOOOoo

Kurama paused in the doorway, his acute senses having already picked out the dark shadow who stood against the wall on his right. He should have expected it.

"Hiei," he said, as both greeting and acknowledgement, keeping it soft for those sleeping inside.

"Fox." The red eyes flicked to his and then back to the girl curled up on the chair between the two beds.

"Come to see how Jin and Touya are doing?" Kurama couldn't resist digging.

"Hn."

Lips quirking, Kurama slid along the left wall, taking up his own silent post as he crossed his arms and leaned his shoulders back against the cool plaster. His eyes easily adjusted to the darkness, and he studied the two demons all but comatose on the matching hospital beds. By Jin and Touya's energy readings, they would be out for some time, although the bruises were already fading from their skin as their injuries healed.

It wasn't his friends who had brought him here, though, even if he was concerned for them. It was _her_. Drawn almost unwillingly, since she was so fresh in front of his mind. But then, she was never far from it, was she?

Just like during the fight earlier, in the first round of the Great Tournament, when he had been pitted against Kouga. Of all the demons in Demon World to be set against, it had to be the very symbol of all the poor taiji-ya had lost. The irony was not lost on the fox, and it was because of her that he'd gone so easy on the wolf.

Although, it was also thanks to Sango's recounted memories of the demon's brash nature that had provided Kurama the insight needed to formulate a plan that would defeat the wolf with the least harm done. And it was because of her---and the haunted look in her brown eyes after seeing the wolf again after five hundred years---that had nearly cost him that same fight, for the image kept intruding at the worst moments. Kouga was a good, if impetuous, fighter. It had been close there for a while, until he'd managed to use the youkai's stubborn pride against him, and grown the plant that trapped him and drained his jyaki so thoroughly.

Still, the victory was an empty one, for it had not settled the questions Kurama had inside himself. He could not use Kouga as he'd always intended with his first opponent during the tournament, to finally release Youko and submit his consciousness to the powerful fox spirit's. The knowledge of who Kouga was to Sango, and the fact that he cared that _she_ would care, had limited him in a frustratingly new way. Usually so ruthless as to put aside emotion in order to do what he felt he must, Kurama found himself in a quandary he'd never expected---constrained by the very emotion that sapped away his determination on the course he'd set himself over nine months ago.

He'd done all that he'd needed to in order to facilitate his decision. He'd taken accelerated courses and graduated high school like Shiori had always wanted, had even ensured that his human mother would be happy now with her new husband and young stepson. He'd excused his long absence with a fake scholarship to an American university, and had even called her this morning to say goodbye, although she had not known the significance of the short, if intense, conversation.

He had deliberately distanced himself from those he loved the most---not only his human mother, but Hiei and Sango. It had been fairly easy with the short apparition, as Hiei, in that strange way he had of intuiting his moods, had mostly left him alone. The fire demon had spent most of his time in the company of Mukuro, actually, in a way that troubled Kurama. There was a meaning to it that went beyond mere friendship. He had not missed the studied indifference between the two demons, and he did not like the significance of it. But he also could not miss the burning looks Hiei shot the taiji-ya when he thought no one else could see, and that comforted the fox, for his intention had always been to see them together.

Which was what made Youko's complicity all the more necessary. Of course, Youko had been willing to go along with his wishes, as the demon stood to benefit in the end. For Kurama still intended to surrender his consciousness to the silver fox's will once and for all. His bargain with the fox ensured both their desires, for Kurama could not live with the emptiness of his existence now that he had finally admitted to a love so strong it hurt almost worse than the knowledge that he was so completely unworthy of it.

It had been hard, though, to watch as Youko had drove the final wedge between him and Sango, severing any hope between them by his deliberate seduction of the slayer. Experiencing Youko exploit the slayer's innocence, using the subtle influence of her demonic heart against her in a masterful manipulation to gain her loathing and sever any trust between them had been hard. Harder still was the knowledge that the fox spirit had only done it at his own request.

Youko had been willing enough, even though he had taunted Kurama with the knowledge that he actually preferred the little fire demon to the pretty little changeling, as he sardonically called the slayer. Manipulating Hiei into losing control was so much more intriguing, Youko had seductively whispered---sending Kurama images of the fire demon lost in passion as he burned with animalistic need. The smoldering glow in heavy-lidded crimson eyes had made Kurama's breath come short as Youko played him as maliciously as he had ever played anyone. Kurama had cursed the fox spirit, who had only laughed, the cruel light in his golden eyes actually warming to a buttery hue as he mentally pulled the redhead into his embrace, saying he was too easy to tease, that he would understand in the end, truly he would.

Of course he would understand. He wouldn't be able to help it. In the end, when they became as one united instead of two tainted by the other and yet distinctly separate, their souls would fuse and Youko's would be dominant by Kurama's own willingness to submit to him. They would be one, and his own consciousness would dissolve beneath the fox's.

But that price was worth it, for Youko had already promised to ensure the two Kurama most loved would eventually be happy---although he was rather cagey as to how, and already had his own plans in play, ones he would not share. The fox was evasive, and strangely silent now that the time had come to put the final pieces of the game into play. Doubts riddled Kurama at the fox's reticence, but he had made his decision and he would abide by it.

Still, it was hard to be in their presence, to act so nonchalant and careless, and to keep hidden the emotions he felt so keenly it scared him. Especially around the fire demon, who had always been able to read him so easily. But Hiei was distracted by his own inner turmoil, which somehow had to do with the former king, Mukuro, and something else that Kurama could not quite lay his finger on. It troubled the redhead, and he could not quite keep the inner disquiet from twisting across his normally composed expression as the unhappiness ghosted through his green eyes. At least the darkness hid his lapse---although he abruptly stiffened under the weight of Hiei's regard. His green eyes rose to meet the stolid red stare, which glowed lightly in reaction to the darkness.

Hiei abruptly broke the silent appraisal, his eyes flicking back to the sleeping girl, and then, arms crossed and manner negligent, he silently turned on his heel to leave. He paused in the doorway, his eyes staring straight ahead, but his words as always so straight to the point.

"You think too much, fox."

Kurama's expression turned rueful. The fire demon, as always, spoke the truth. He watched, eyes soft, as the spiky-haired apparition abruptly disappeared, his movements so fast it appeared as if he teleported.

Hiei was right. The time for self-question and doubt was gone. Tomorrow would see him facing a new opponent in the ring, and then Kurama would do what he'd always intended. For tonight, though, he intended to keep his last, silent vigil over the slayer---a final, silent goodbye.

It was only when the light started creeping up the edge of the sky, signaling dawn was approaching, that he finally took his leave. He let his eyes linger on the slayer's sleeping face like a last caress, and then he resolutely turned away.

ooOOOoo

It was the light of a morning well worn that finally woke Sango from her dreamless sleep. She had slept so deeply, she hadn't even been conscious of the staff coming in to check on their the back of her neck, where she'd developed a crick from sleeping in such an awkward position, she grimaced.

"Hey." The quiet amusement in the dry voice turned her head sharply to the right as Touya smiled. "You're finally awake."

"Touya!" Hurriedly unwinding the blanket from around her, Sango stood up, anxiously scanning the short apparition for any sign of injury. The ugly bruises from yesterday had faded, and he seemed all right, if tired, with telling circles under his pale blue eyes. Her fingers unconsciously brushed the white sheet beside him. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," the apparition admitted with a wry twist as he tried to sit up.

"Here, let me help you---" Sango hurried to help, but he determinedly shook his head.

"No, it's all right." He smiled to take any sting out of his words as he finally managed with a faint grimace. Leaning back against the pillows, he sighed. "Damn, but that fight took a lot of me."

He didn't look put out by that fact, but strangely satisfied, his normally wintry blue eyes warming to a spring-time hue. Her puzzlement must have been clear to read, for he grinned, a rather charming smile that made him appear far younger than his normal stoicism. "I think you can understand. About fighting, I mean. How it can be good _and_ bad."

She nodded slowly, reminded of his background as a shinobi guardian of demon world. The similarities to her own profession as slayer, and later, assassin, were many. She had never thought of it in that light before, and wondered what had finally made Touya break ties with the Guardians. Jin had been rather hazy on the details, glossing over their defection from the oath-bonded brotherhood. Perhaps they had grown as disillusioned as she had with the hard choices that sometimes came with the job. A weight had certainly seemed to have lifted off of Jin's shoulders, a silent tension that Sango had not realized he'd had until she'd seen him again, in Gandara.

But for someone with the true heart of a warrior, they could not stop being what they were, even if they found it distasteful at times.

"Fighting is my life," she said softly.

Touya chuckled, and then winced, pressing a hand to his side, where a healing rib was still tender. Concerned, Sango made a motion to go for the doctor, but the ice apparition only waved it aside as he gingerly eased himself into a more comfortable position on the bed. He stared at her, his blue eyes suddenly intent. "It's that compassion that stops you from being a truly ruthless warrior, Sango. Why else would you spare everyone in the prelims?"

Sango stiffened, and replied defensively, "So did you."

"Heh. True. I never said I wasn't heartless. I want to burn my candle to its dimmest state---but not at the expense of others."

Biting her lip, Sango nodded, finally understanding what drove the ice apparition. Like her, he sought that joy in exerting yourself, testing your abilities beyond their limits---but not at the expense of others. It was a philosophy that Yusuke---and Jin, actually, who was so very like the former Spirit Detective others often called them brothers---embodied by their very natures, taking such simple pleasure in physical strife that it impelled those around them to do the same.

Her eyes rested on the wind apparition, who slept with one arm thrown up over his horned head. His face was turned away, his red hair bright against the white sheets of the bed. He looked better, his skin sporting its normal healthy tan rather than the pale drain of last night.

"Ah, he'll be all right. He just got the wind knocked out of him---literally." Touya chuckled again, and this time didn't wince. The healing abilities of youkai would never cease to amaze her.

"Suiketsu and Kuju came by last night, to see how you were doing," Sango said, brown eyes returning to meet the thoughtful blue gaze as Touya mused aloud.

"This tournament might very well change demon world as we know it." He smiled at her puzzled look, but did not explain. But then, the nurse was suddenly there to check on her patients, and shooing Sango out as an imperious Skunk showed up with an amused Lord Tenga in tow. And she could hardly turn down the lord's invitation to lunch, since her belly reminded her sharply it had been quite a while since last she ate. As Suzuka, being discharged, was delighted to join them, Sango soon found herself seated in one of the more elegant restaurants with a small crowd of her friends. Shishi and Jueru showed up with an arrogant Yuda sniffing his disdain at eating at the same table as That Animal. Skunk only growled before deliberately curling up on the old snob's lap for an indulgent ear scratching.

Lord Tenga insisted she use his cell to call Master Sen, who had been anxiously watching the tournament from the "new-fangled" television set he'd gotten just for the purpose. Guchi had a few coarse compliments for her first round, and Master Sen spent a good fifteen minutes reminding her not to grow over-confident, that the second round that night would be harder, the stakes twice as high. Touched by the elderly mole's concern, Sango reassured him that she would be careful. She heard Guchi snort in the background, and felt such a sudden warmth of feeling for the two old demons her heart felt tight as she hung up.

Looking at all the demons around her---people she would never, ever, have expected to become such good friends and who she wouldn't trade now for the world, Sango suddenly realized life had a strange way of working things out. She realized, abruptly, that she was content, even happy, and maybe that was enough in the end.

Yes, she had lost much, but really, she had gained a lot, too. And while it could not replace those who would forever remain in her heart---Inuyasha, Kagome, her brother and her houshi and the sweet nekomata she missed even now---she didn't need to hang on to that loss like she had before. The darkness and bitterness, the empty longing…it all seemed so strange now, that she _had_ held on to it for so long. In light of Naraku's death, it was even rather petty and pointless, that she had made herself such a martyr to it for so very long. Maybe she hadn't gained the redemption she'd sought in revenge, but she had gained something more.

Herself.

It was a heady thought, and one so new she couldn't comprehend all the nuances of it yet. But she suddenly felt _free_, free in a way that she---and Kagura---had always yearned for. In that sudden rush of intense acknowledgement, even the consequence of her dark promise to Shigure seemed less terrible than it always had. She had people in her life now who understood and accepted her as she now was, and that was…something wonderful. It eased somewhat the pain of knowledge that she could never go back to what was, but she no longer had to shackle herself to that fact either. She could let it go and live now, live as she had always yearned so much for---free of the pain and the past, and completely, wholly, herself.

It was enough.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Another chapter out, woot! I'm on a roll. (Grin) I should warn that this chapter has some dark imagery, but oh, it was so utterly fun to write! (Grinning now like the Cheshire Cat.) On a side note, I have bolded the line I pilfered from the anime to show it's not mine, and that I am twisting some of the awesome ideas people have left in their reviews. Thank you for taking the time out to leave them - they really do warm the heart. =) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA, DARK IMAGERY AND DELICIOUS DEMONIC EVILNESS

_**Chapter Thirty-Nine**_

Sunset tinged the ever-clouded sky in russet fire as an enthusiastic Koto, her short hair only a shade darker, was framed by the glow of lights from the center stage of the packed stadium. The watching crowds roared their approval as she raised her arms and grinned. "Welcome, everyone, to the Second Round of the Great Demon World Tournament! I hope you're ready for a night full of monsters and mayhem! I certainly know _I _am!"

Their rowdy response drowned out her next words, and she waited, eyes dancing, for the noise to abate. "All right, folks, this is how it goes. The winners of the first round from yesterday have been paired off with the sixteen remaining contestants of each group - you can consult your programs or the wide screen behind me for who goes against who.

"Again, the first pair from each group will start within five minutes of each other - though who knows how long each fight will take. Tonight is the night when the gore gets good, as each fighter - already tested against forty-nine other opponents - will pull out all the stops to defeat their rival and go on to the next round. I can reassure you that tonight promises to be one _sweet_ slug-fest of blood and carnage, and I, for one, can't _wait!"_

The crowd went wild, and Koto pirouetted prettily to face the screen behind her, where the first four pairs were highlighted. "Now, first up, fighting for Group A, we have Natsume versus Boujakubujin. Now, who will win this round? While Natsume appears to be a delicate flower, Boujakubujin shouldn't underestimate her. That young lady packs quite a punch!"

"Hell, yeah, she does!" Chuu bellowed from the stands, big hands cupped around his mouth so he could be heard. Koto reflexively glared before ignoring the tall demon with the distinctive blue mohawk to detail the other three pairs who were even now taking their places in the center rings of each okininju stalk. The picture of each fighter flashed up on the billboard with their name in kanji beside them as Koto explained each fighter's known qualities, occasionally consulting her co-host, Yuda, who sat sniffing his disdain from the press-box where she would join him shortly. Koto's enthusiasm worked the crowd into a frenzy, and she grinned as the final fighter from Group D finally took their place.

The crowd howled for blood, and she pumped her fist into the air as their chant rang out across the stadium. "Hell yes! We'll bring on the blood, all right! I can promise you _that!_ Now, is the first pair ready? Yes?" She turned back from the flying camera-girl who waved at her, and the main screen switched to show a snarling brute facing the cool demoness who casually struck a defensive pose. "All right, people! Let's get this party started! Let the first match of Group A begin!"

The thunderous agreement from the packed stadium drowned out the blaring siren that signaled the start of the second round as twilight purpled the sky and green lightning flickered between the omnipresent clouds.

ooOOOoo

"Now, who be going against who we know, eh?" Jin leaned over to look past Shishi's shoulder at the program held in the handsome imp's hands. A neatly manicured claw drew down the list of names.

"Well, no one _you_ care about is in the first match." The imp gave the wind apparition a sly look as he flushed. "Though Chuu's already in the front row, cheering on his latest crush." The patent disgust in Shishi's voice made Touya frown as Sazuka grinned.

"Well, at least she's pretty. That one at the bar last night -"

"That wasn't a woman," Shishi said in even more disgust.

"What do you mean?" Rinku demanded, brown eyes wide.

"Nothing," Shishi demurred, and handed the program over to Jin so as to turn the conversation from the curious boy. "Looks like we don't have anyone we _really_ know until the third set. Unless you're interested in the second match of Group A, when that Suiketsu is fighting that three-armed giant who beat you, Suzuka."

Jin grinned down from his floating perch some three feet up in the air. "Ah, that one will beat the giant easy, he will."

"Hmph." Suzuka didn't look too pleased with that assertion, and Shishi's cerise eyes glittered as he mercilessly teased the golden demon about being a sore loser. The resulting argument was only stopped when Touya deliberately cleared his throat.

"So, Jin, what about our friends?"

"Well, Shishi's right, lad. It'll not be until the third match of each group that things'll turn interesting, seems like. Though that Kuju what beat you last night will be in the second of B, and that Kirin fellow will be in the second of C. That monk Hokushin is slated for the third round of A, and then it's Kurama, Hiei and Sango one right after t'other. Interesting twist, no?" The wicked glint in the wind demon's bright blue eyes made Touya's narrow.

"You seem to derive a little too much amusement from that fact, Jin."

"Ah, well." The demon flushed a bit, and scratched the back of his neck. "It's ironic, isn't it? That the three of them are what be fighting back to back? Seems like Fate done had a hand in it, lad."

"Perhaps," Touya allowed, and then resolutely turned his attention back towards the view screen to see how the next match turned out.

ooOOOoo

The opened program wrinkled under the sudden tension in her hands, and Sango raised unseeing eyes to the screen where everyone in Group D watched with various interest as the first matches unfolded.

"Hey, you all right, young lady?" A big hand fell on her shoulder, and the red demon gently turned her to face him. "Sango?"

Coming back to herself, Sango blinked. "Um, yes, thank you."

She flushed at the strangeness of having her next opponent's husband comforting her before their fight. But then, Koku was all but passed out in the corner, her drunken snores even louder than the night before. Sango wondered how the woman had managed to put down her bottle long enough to get rid of that stupid lizard yesterday, but she wasn't about to underestimate the demoness.

"You sure?" Enki asked, his black eyes kind. "You know, it's not unusual to get nervous before a fight."

She wished it was just nerves. But it wasn't her coming fight with Koku in the third match of Group D that had her on edge, but the names burned into her thudding heart in the third match of B. Kurama versus Shigure, Surgeon of the Damned.

Shigure. The very demon who had transplanted the heart inside her chest that was even now twisting under the knowledge.

ooOOOoo

Hiei refused to acknowledge the ironic smirk that twisted across the surgeon's lips as he mockingly knelt before the former king before going to face the fox. His red eyes lingered on Shigure's disappearing back as the proud warrior made his way from the room, giant ring-sword resting on one shoulder. It was not for his sake, but Kurama's, that had Hiei calculating the resolve of Mukuro's former Elite Guardsman. Shigure had a score to settle, and Hiei wondered if the surgeon meant for Kurama to pay the price of his ignoble defeat at Hiei's hands. To one as seethed in personal arrogance as the surgeon, this battle would be needed to redress the dishonor he felt he'd acquired when they had fought each other in Mukuro's dungeons.

But then, there was some strange meaning to this battle for Kurama as well, though Hiei didn't know what, exactly, it was. He just knew that both fighters were assigning a significance to this fight that was more than just the obvious.

"Which one do you think will win?" Mukuro asked curiously, and Hiei folded his arms.

He shrugged, his red eyes narrowing on the screen.

ooOOOoo

Shigure studied the seemingly fragile young man who faced him across the battle arena. He, more than anyone, knew how looks could be deceiving.

_*He has interesting eyes,* _he mused to himself as he drew his giant ring-sword up over his shoulder, bracing it against both hands in a defensive posture as the handsome redhead pulled a pretty red rose from behind his right ear. They measured each other, silently testing one another's reflexes as they both feinted to the left. The fox attacked first, twisting the delicate rose in his hand into a thorny whip that bounced off the sharp edge of his phosphorous sword but snapped the tinkling bell he wore dangling from the ring sunk into his right temple. But then, he managed to cut through the fox's light yellow robe, though not into his stomach as he'd truly intended, as the fox hastily retreated.

The bell fell to the ground between them with a jangling sound.

Shigure smiled, and the next exchange of blows delighted him.

The fox was proving a worthy opponent. It was rather fitting that Kurama be the one Shigure redeemed his honor with, seeing as the fox had some type of acquaintance with two of his most interesting patients. He wondered how the fox's story fit in with theirs, and if Kurama knew the interesting tales Sango and Hiei had to tell. It might be interesting to see the fox's reaction if he made them known. Kurama derived his formidability as an opponent from the cool detachment he used in battle, but Shigure was a past master in playing a demon's emotions against them. Getting under the fox's skin would not only be an asset in this fight, but would provide immense amusement.

He relished the darkness in the fox's green eyes. There was so much turmoil there, some unsettled question that perked the surgeon's curiosity. Kurama was as worthy as Hiei or Sango of his surgical skills, and he actually made the generous offer of augmenting the fox's natural abilities with whatever he wished to acquire through surgery when next they paused to catch their breath. The fox spurned his offer, claiming he had no need for a butcher, just a greater need for discipline.

The emotional bite in the fox's voice made Shigure smirk, for he was finally managing to get under the fox's skin. Still, his curiosity grew as the turmoil darkened in the young man's verdant gaze, and he demanded to know the cause as a swirling vortex of pretty, yet deadly, petals rose around the intense figure.

**"Words. Feelings," **Kurama admitted, before coldly adding, "**All of which have less than **_**nothing**_** to do with **_**you!"**_

Really. Then why was it that the fox then attacked him with a ferocity that was almost beautiful in its intensity? Shigure barely staved off the razor-sharp petals sent whipping towards him by summoning the cyclone barrier of his ring-sword. Spinning the winds faster, Shigure fed his powerful jyaki into the cyclone, abruptly turning the defensive tactic into an attack as he struck for the small figure far below. A part of him was astonished when the kitsune did not move out of the way, and the resulting explosion churned so much dust into the air that he could not see any sign of his adversary.

Huh. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps the fox wasn't as formidable as he'd thought. A pity, but it looked like he had destroyed the kitsune. That was disappointing, but at least his personal honor had finally been redeemed -

But wait, there was a growing electricity to the air, an in-drawing of the very jyaki that snapped and crackled through the dust still swirling around the giant crater formed upon the cyclone's impact. Shigure braced himself, eyes narrowing in disbelief as a shadow emerged, the dust sweeping aside to reveal a figure straight out of legend.

_Youko!_

ooOOOoo

Sango inhaled sharply as the silver figure emerged from the swirling dust that billowed over the crater formed across Group B's platform. The camera shot a close-up of the spirit fox's arrogant face. The golden eyes pierced right through the screen in a way that made her heart freeze, though the chilling look was not for her, but the surgeon who stood braced above him.

What did this mean? Where was Kurama? _What had happened to Kurama?_

OoOOOoo

Mukuro watched as Hiei's head came up, his crimson eyes smoldering as the tall figure emerged from the dust. She could feel the turmoil of the fire demon's thoughts as his normally tight barriers slipped to show his uneasy questions over Youko's emergence. Not that Hiei hadn't anticipated the silver fox's interference, but there was something different this time, something wrong about it.

She wondered idly what this would mean for her former guardsman, and wished Kirin was here to ask his opinion, which she trusted implicitly. But the commander was currently facing his own opponent in Group C's ring, and the battle looked like it was coming to a close. That meant that her own battle - against Hiei - would be next, and her mind turned from the current unknown to wonder what that fight would hold in store for her.

Hiei didn't seem to share her anticipation with the imminence of their own fight, and that hurt her in a way. But she knew that when the time came for them to be joined in battle, she would have the fire demon's attention in full. For now, it was his friend the fox who had the apparition's preoccupation.

But that all-important battle - when each would pit the darkness they held inside themselves against the other and test whether or not their shared bitterness would win past it in the end - would come soon enough.

ooOOOoo

Kurama felt himself dissolving beneath the firm weight of Youko's emerging aura, which surrounded him in a tight embrace, engulfing his awareness into that of the silver fox spirit. Pictures flickered before his mind, the memories most important to him as his life flashed before his eyes in the final seconds before the death of his _self_ as it submerged into Youko's.

He saw his human mother, her eyes shining with love for him as she held her arms out, dissolve into Hiei, who cast a smoldering red glance over his shoulder. Beheld Yusuke holding his palm over the Forlorn Hope as the detective tried to sacrifice his own life for Kurama's in the hope of saving Shiori. Saw Kuwabara give him a thumbs up as Botan cheerfully waved. Yukina smiled sweetly behind a glaring Genkai, and Koenma, the prince of Spirit World, gazed at him gravely out of young-old eyes. He glimpsed Jin and Touya, all the other demons he'd made friends with, as a series of rapid-fire pictures that were replaced by Yomi as he was _then_, so impetuous and rash, and as he was _now_, so dry and reflective and yet still so intense in his emotions, especially for his son.

He saw Yusuke reborn into the Mazoku, laughed once more with Hiei in the weary field of battle, saw the cloaked figure emerge to draw back her hood to reveal a delicate face with dark eyes full of hidden shadows. Felt his heart tighten as those same eyes lightened into laughter, and then darkened again in desire. Saw them redden in anger as she stood facing Raizen over Yusuke's body, the crimson scorching into the brilliance of the fire demon who glared so coldly, demanding to know what he was about as he felt Sango cry out in denial as his weak spirit started to fade beneath the overwhelming brilliancy of Youko's demon spirit.

Youko laughed, a knowing sound of derisive amusement at his expense, so triumphant, and Kurama -

- felt his eyes widening is surprise as his body fell down from the sky, Shigure's deadly ring-sword swinging for his neck. He barely dodged the blow, and the surgeon glared at him.

"_Damn_ you, fox! Fight me in truth, or die by my hand!"

Kurama leapt away, and felt his body transforming, the red streaks blending across his silver hair as his tail flared out behind him, turning red as well even as it dissolved. He felt the powerful jyaki of Youko's summoning singing along his veins, but it did not fade like he expected it to, like it had always done in the past when he morphed back into his human form. The demonic energy rose up to surround him in a brilliant flare of fuchsia and silver light, a sweet scent like dying flowers filling his nose as Youko's mocking laughter faded into the surprise of his and Kurama suddenly _knew_.

Knew everything. Knew how Youko had played a deeper game than even he could guess. Understood in full how Youko had so masterfully manipulated _him_ just as he'd tried to manipulate everyone else so that he could finally surrender his consciousness to the fox spirit's. Youko had deliberately turned it about, so that while they were now united as one, it was with Kurama's awareness dominant, and not the other way around. And they _were_ one, completely, the fox's particular identity coloring his own thoughts as their souls fused together. Kurama could not know in what ways Youko's demonic emotions would influence him now, but he was completely dumbfounded as to _why_.

The answer came, a stealthy seeping of knowledge as he absorbed the odd thoughts of the fox spirit who he was now in truth. Youko, who had loved himself above all others - always so self-focused to exclusion of all else and always so completely narcissistic - could not help but love _him_, Kurama, as he did himself. For they had always been one, since that fateful day when the fleeing fox spirit had merged his essence into the soul of an unborn baby boy. And in that love, there was the completely selfish wish for happiness, and the knowledge that Kurama could not be happy - and thus, _Youko_ could not be truly happy - without those two who had so utterly touched his innermost heart.

For them, for him, Youko had sacrificed himself. Though, no, he hadn't really sacrificed himself - for Kurama was now Youko, as much as Youko was now Kurama, and they were one as they had never been before. And even as Kurama stood there blinking in bewilderment, the wild amusement - so dark in its flavor of self-derision, which was so typically _Youko _- leapt out of him, and he laughed.

An action which stunned the surgeon who glared down at him from the crater's rim where he'd landed, his giant ring-sword braced for the next throw. "Why do you laugh, human? Do you dare insult my superior abilities, when you have just so foolishly changed into your lesser form?"

"This form is hardly lesser," Kurama said, laughter dying as he fixed his cold gaze on the surgeon, who stiffened at the sudden flash of gold that flickered through the intense green orbs. "You are a fool to underestimate me, Shigure. You and I have a score to settle. A score involving the revocation of a terrible promise made at the expense of another's pain."

Shigure straightened, his smile malicious as his black eyes raked over the intense redhead. "Ah, I see. You wish me to revoke the price I always demand in exchange for my particular services. It has always amused me to give the interesting story a patient brings me an ironic twist to finish it off, and I only demand one paltry promise in exchange for my unique skills.

"But, I wonder, fox, for which one do you refer? The taiji-ya, or the Amiko?"

_*Amiko.* _The name was not one Hiei bandied about. In fact, Kurama doubted if even Yusuke knew the secret. The fact Shigure _did_…

"Explain yourself, surgeon, and quickly, or you will die - slowly." The glitter of gold that sparkled across Kurama's green gaze promised more than just the single threatening word he used.

Shigure's pierced lip curled, as if he was enjoying the moment. Sadist that he was, he probably did. "Why, I have no need to keep secrets. Doctor-patient confidentiality aside, you seem to have some concern for the two people who came to me, separately, to have new abilities surgically implanted inside of them."

His dark eyes glittered. "For the taiji-ya, it was a simple heart transplant, although it was one of my more masterful endeavors, I must admit. And so deliciously ironic, that it was a demon slayer who came with the pilfered heart of a wind youkai in order to slay yet another one. She was so utterly delightful. How could I not resist the unique opportunity she presented me with? The opportunity of being able to perform my particular skills on a willing human, one I wasn't sure would even survive the operation, strong as her will was. Her screams of terror as I cut into her creamy skin - they were beatific. I can hear them even now…"

Kurama growled, a golden light washing over his eyes as brilliant silver streaks crept across the flaming length of his red hair. Shigure laughed, deliberately twisting the knife deeper as he taunted the darker, if as delicious, memory of a fire apparition desperate for the Jagan.

"Ah, but no less sweeter was the agonized screams of your short little determined friend, who tried to so desperately to keep them clamped behind his bitten lips. But then, they all try and do so - though I make it my particular mission to ensure they cannot hold back their sweet cries as I dig my scalpel into their delicate flesh. The music of their torment is my aphrodisiac, and I savor it like a fine wine, heightening the experience for both of us so that we can savor the full bouquet of their pain and terror."

Kurama's eyes glowed like hot coals, and Shigure laughed mockingly, deliberately stirring the fire in their blazing depths as he recounted how Hiei had come to him, seeking the Jagan in order to find his sister and the icy village who had forsaken him so long ago. He spared no detail of the horrendous operation, or the extraction of his terrible price - that Hiei could never reveal to his twin sister their relationship. Kurama suddenly understood the fire apparition's reticence in revealing to Yukina who he was, and the similarity in both Sango and Hiei's stories - and the malicious amusement Shigure derived from each - made the anger burn so hot inside him he felt his jyaki flaring and crackling along his skin.

Shigure studied him thoughtfully. "You know, Kurama, I believe you have come to some understanding within yourself. I must admit that I find it quite intriguing. My offer still stands - I would work my particular skills on you, give you abilities you could only dream of -"

"You have nothing I could ever want - except the complete revocation of the sadistic promises you demanded of my friends," he replied coldly, eyes glinting like twin suns as he narrowed them. "Which you _will_ give me, before you die."

"You think you can kill me, hanyou, now that you have abandoned your full kitsune form?" the surgeon taunted, bringing the ring casually slung on one shoulder to bear.

"Who says I have abandoned it?" Kurama said, and jyaki flared along his body as the surgeon's eyes widened. "Know this, Shigure the Damned. You will die today screaming in more agony and terror than was ever suffered by anyone you put under the knife. _And I will savor each and every one of them."_

Shigure only laughed at the dark promise in the chilling golden gaze.

It was for the last time.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: A rather short chapter, and I should warn that there are very dark allusions, and that I have twisted away from the anime (haha, like I haven't done THAT already!) Again, bolded words are not mine, but the anime's, etc. (Fate) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA! VERY DARK IMAGERY AND RUN-ON SENTENCES, LOL

WORDS

sakura - cherry blossom

_**Chapter Forty**_

Hiei eyed the giant sakura tree that had erupted from the okininju stalk next to the one he stood awaiting the former king's arrival for the start of their match. He wondered what that explosion of growth meant to the fox whose awareness, at least, had finally returned to normal. Kurama's personality now dominated Youko's - though there was a subtle difference he couldn't quite put his finger on. Youko had seemed to emerge there for a tense moment as the battle closed between the fox and the surgeon.

He cursed the distance, and wished he might use the Jagan to see for himself. But Mukuro was even now approaching as one of those annoying camera-demons flew up behind her.

Hiei studied the copper-haired woman. She was slender, her compact frame firmly muscled yet still distinctly feminine. She was rather short by demon standards - though he was hardly one to judge the height of others. In his opinion, the taller you were, the harder you fell. Hiei often made it his mission to ensure that maxim.

With the scars across her face and body, many would not consider Mukuro beautiful, though the draw of her considerable aura was unmistakable to any demon. Mukuro's power was formidable, her mastery over jyaki lending a flare to her astral aura that was as appealing in its way as the dark Dragon who ever seethed across the back of his mind. He was not the only demon to have reacted to that. Unveiling her true self, the former king had opened herself to all the petty ambitions of any male demon who thought himself worthy of her. Thankfully, there were few stupid enough to try, or foolish enough to let their desire be known.

Hiei scowled. Let lesser demons quiver in fear at the thought of Mukuro's wrath. This fight had been foreordained since the day he agreed to take up the king's training. And now the questions between them might be resolved.

This was the only way to know.

ooOOOoo

The program suddenly tore in her sweaty grip, and Sango stared down in surprise at the two pieces she now held in her hands. She trembled, and looked back up at the screen to see Kurama finally emerging from among the gently falling cherry blossoms.

_*No, not Kurama. But Youko.*_

And supported by the former king Yomi, no less. The white-haired fox had sustained a nasty injury on both shoulder and midsection, as Shigure had not gone down without a fight. There was no way, however, the surgeon could stave off the thousands of wooden spears that continually pierced his body. His screams had echoed over the stadium, who watched his slow death in eerie silence, awed by the fact that none of the spears were hitting a vital point to end the demon's awful suffering as he slowly bled to death.

It was a terrible way to die, even for one like Shigure, and so typical of the cruel kitsune. Sango shuddered, and closed her eyes as the tears burned behind her lids. The weight of knowledge lay like a lump inside her stomach, and she suddenly felt sick.

"Gods, you look like you need a drink." Sango shied as a heavy arm dropped over her shoulders and a bottle was thrust right in her face. She incredulously stared up into the gleaming yellow eyes as the blonde waggled the bottle invitingly. "Go on, honey, take a good swig."

"Koku!" Enki hurried to intercept his wife, but she swung at him, nearly whirling around and falling back on her butt.

"Getter 'way from me, you big lug! Can't you see I'm making friends?" Koku shouted, and nearly threw the bottle at him - until the slosh of liquid checked her. She turned back to Sango. "Well? You gonna take that drink or not? 'Cause if you aren't, I'm gonna finish this."

Of all the most ridiculous situations she had ever found herself…

"Aren't we going to be fighting soon?" she asked the crazy woman.

"So? Scared you can't take me, girl?" Her sneer was downright arrogant, the glint in her yellow eyes challenging.

"Oh, I'm not worried." Sango swiped the bottle out of the demoness's hand and took a healthy pull. Pure fire burned down her throat and straight to her belly, and her eyes watered at the potent liquor. Oh, shit, maybe that hadn't been such a good idea.

Koku laughed and helpfully pounded her on the back. "Taken like a real woman! You're all right, honey." Reclaiming the bottle, the demoness finished it in one quaff, even tapping the bottom to get the last few droplets out before flinging it behind her. There was a muffled oath and a scurry to get out of the way as the bottle shattered against the wall.

"Whew! I tell ya, ain't nothing like a good drink to clear one's head, no?" Koku said, smile knowing. Sango blinked, for suddenly the blurriness was gone from her eyes and everything stood out in razor sharpness - from the booze on the woman's breath to the way the screen showed a short, dark figure facing off against the formidable king she'd once mistakenly believed was Naraku.

The heavily anticipated third match of Group C had begun.

ooOOOoo

"To be honest, it's not exactly what I expected. But then, you've always managed to surprise me, Kurama." The blind demon raised his horned head, his ears twitching. "It seems as if your friends have arrived to take you from me once again."

Kurama chuckled at the heavy irony in the former king's voice. He was grateful for Yomi's support, as the wound in his side was deep and he had drained quite a bit of his energy in growing the demonic cherry tree. It had been worth it, in the end. He'd gotten what he'd wanted.

What they both - he and Youko - had wanted, truth be told. They were whole.

He felt his body dissolving back into his human form as his friends raced down the hill, Jin flying through the air like some crazy bird as Yusuke easily kept up with the wind master's speed on his own two feet. The others were not far behind, and Yomi surrendered Kurama to them without a backward glance. Yusuke gave the proud demon a piercing look which he then turned back on Kurama, who was propped up by Jin and Touya.

"Looks like you resolved something." The detective threw his thumb toward the departing king, and Kurama's mouth quirked.

"Heh. Yes, I have. In more ways than one."

Yusuke studied him critically, and then nodded sharply in understanding.

"Well, then, let's get your ass to the hospital. You look like shit." Yusuke took Touya's place at his left side. Draping Kurama's arm over his wide shoulders, he cocked a grin at his friend. "Though that doctor-dude looks a bit worse."

"Riddled, he be," Jin said with a shake of his tousled head. "Don't you think you went a little hard on the fellow, Kurama?"

"No," Kurama said bluntly, and the wind apparition whistled softly through his teeth.

"My. Well, I dunno what the bugger did to ye, lad, but you don't get that look for anything less than a blood-debt."

Touya raised a pale brow, and they all grew quiet. They understood. If not the reason, or the motive, still they respected the fox's silent claim of a debt of honor between him and Shigure that could only be settled by the death of one or the other. By Demon World standards, that was just.

"Okay." Yusuke marshaled their forces. "Let's get going. We still got a long way to hobble to that hospital..."

"Wait - " Kurama said, his bowed head rising as he felt a thunderous burst of jyaki pierce the sky above the okininju stalk on their right. "That feels like Hiei's energy."

"It is." Yusuke grinned. "While you were poking that doctor full of holes, Hiei's match started against Mukuro."

"Mukuro." Kurama stiffened. His steady green eyes met the brown sienna ones of his friend. "I have to watch."

Yusuke frowned, but finally nodded. "Fine, but as soon as it's over, you're bleeding ass is going to the ICU."

"I won't need the ICU," Kurama told the detective, his gaze on the ominous clouds forming above Group C's okininju stalk.

ooOOOoo

Light glittered along the razor edge of Hiei's sword as he pointed it toward the former king. Their words were lost in the white noise of the whistling back draft of the flying camera, and Koto's irritated voice came over the video feed, demanding the volume be adjusted so they could hear what was being said. By then the two fighters had joined in earnest, Mukuro easily dodging each swipe of the fire demon's deadly sword. They moved so fast the camera could barely keep up, and the grumbles from the fascinated demons around her made Sango frown as she strained to follow.

The two adversaries finally dropped back to the ground and faced one another. There was certainly a lot of conversation between their eyes. Hiei's were narrowed, his look cold. The former king's were measuring, as if waiting or wanting something. Sango felt her throat catch as the fire demon stepped forward, his blade glinting maliciously. The next exchange was like a calculated scrimmage, as Hiei checked his blows and Mukuro easily dodged. It was as if they taunted each other, almost as if…

**"After all, we are both only capable of expressing ourselves through our violence." **

Sango's heart stopped as the fire demon's harsh growl came over the video feed, the volume having been fixed. She felt it then, felt the tension between the two demons who were basically challenging each other to open up their isolated hearts.

_*She loves him,* _Sango thought numbly, as the woman pulled her blow at the last moment, flipping away from the fire demon, who snarled after her. Mukuro's single blue eye softened, and Hiei growled, daring her to attack him like only she could.

Mukuro's expression hardened, and she let all the dark passion built up inside of her out in one strike of her glowing fist, which sent raw jyaki flaring through the shorter apparition. The strike hurled him back several yards to slam bodily into a rocky hillside, the sword falling from his hand as he rolled down the slope to lie for a second at the bottom before gingerly getting back on his feet. Sango sucked in her breath at the raw burns revealed across his muscled chest as Hiei impatiently tore the rags of his shirt away with a smirk.

His right fist tightened, and he slowly brought it up to bear. Sango's eyes widened. _*No. He couldn't, he wouldn't, use the Dragon of the Darkness Flame against Mukuro! He cannot control it once unleashed - *_

But he was already summoning the dark flames around him, which seared across her astral senses as they abruptly leapt out of his braced fist, his flare of dark jyaki met by the demoness's own fuchsia-tinged power. The energies snapped like static electricity as they collided, drowning out the next exchange of words between the two protagonists as they forced their bodies closer. The energy abruptly dissolved in a flicker of black lightning, and suddenly Hiei was attacking Mukuro with just his fists.

"This is pathetic." Koku crossed her arms and glared at the screen. "I was sure that crazy bitch would have his little punk ass cut in half by now with her dimensional technique."

"There's more going on in that ring than just another fight, dearest," Enki said softly.

"Think I don't know that?" Koku growled. "It's obvious the two just need to fuck each other and be done with it. All that unreleased sexual tension is making this one sucky fight. I expected more out of Mukuro, at least. Her little flirting up there is costing me quite a bit of money. God, I need a drink."

She went stalking after one as Enki indulgently shook his head.

Sango had missed the next exchange of words between Hiei and Mukuro as she stared stupidly after Koku. But the demoness's final demand just before she split the sky in half with a piercing light burned across the taiji-ya's mind as her attention snapped back to the screen.

**"End your search, Hiei! The **_**real**_** one. And find your **_**self!" **_

The clouds above were split by a growing web of piercing lines as the demoness shot rays of light from her graceful hands. Trapping Hiei beneath a web of deadly energy, the gleaming lines bit into his skin when he brushed against one, leaving a deep slash across his right shoulder as a hoarse cry was torn from his lips.

Koku was suddenly back, a bottle of Jack tilted towards her open mouth as she hooted. "Now, this is getting good! I told you, you big brick, that that crazy bitch could split the very dimensional fabric of our world with just a wave of her hand!"

Realizing he was cornered, Hiei finally stood. He stared at the slender figure who stared so serenely back at him, and Sango watched as the fire demon calmly, deliberately, ripped the bandage from around his forehead, exposing his Jagan Eye.

_*He's really going to use it. He's really going to use the Dragon of the Darkness Flame.* _Sango couldn't bear it, that he felt so compelled, and her eyes closed as she felt the restless stir of that chilling, ever hungering darkness ghost a low growl across her memory. The Dragon was pulled from the very Abyss, and her one witness to its raw fury and seething hatred had snatched her awareness up so thoroughly in the seething hatred she'd felt for Naraku she couldn't bear the reminder of it. For she had no need for that hatred now, and the anger that was rising inside of her wasn't the anger of vengeance, but the anger that Hiei could use the dragon so easily, that the darkness that lurked inside his very soul fed the Dragon's existence.

She was running from the room before she knew it, her fury at Hiei's callous use of such darkness making her eyes bleed as she burst out from the fire exit, the heavy door slamming back open in her wake. There were gasps of astonishment as she raced across the main stage, leaping off the far edge and bolting for the okininju stalk that towered so far away across the grassy plain.

Half of her mind was on her pumping legs, automatically adding the wind to speed her step and keep the harsh breaths from burning inside her lungs. The rest of her was _there_, with him, up on the plateau as she threw open her mind for all she was worth.

_*Hiei! __**No**__!* _

But she was already too late - for the Dragon came with a chilling shriek, erupting above the okininju stalk as a seething shadow of raging hate and darkness. Sango tripped and fell to her knees in the dirt as she stared up in shock as the Dragon's purple-black form snaked up into the roiling sky, the small form of Mukuro caught in its steely jaws.

ooOOOoo

Hiei jerked, his red eyes widening as the Jagan burned between them.

Her voice called to him, despair etched in her single word of denial. He jerked, and suddenly he _knew_. Knew the stark truth that had always been before him, staring him right in the face. What he had always denied behind a contemptible fear of what it might do to him.

Knew now what it did do to him. And knew now what he had to do.

He growled, feeding his jyaki into the raging Dragon with uncaring abandon, who screamed in such fury. He reveled in that feeling of rage and hunger and darkness even as he strove against it, turning it to his will. Mukuro cried his name as her flaring power shone like a fuchsia beacon against the purple-black flames of his summoned hate. Suddenly, her light burned brighter than his darkness as he called her name, and his fury unleashed hers, setting them both free from it as the Dragon split in half beneath that dual unleashing.

And then the Dragon came for him, and the world went black.

ooOOOoo

The ominous darkness was gone as suddenly as it had come. Sango stared up at the storm-wracked sky in complete bewilderment.

Mukuro had managed to defeat the Dragon of the Darkness Flame.

Which could only mean one thing. For the dragon fed on the very intentions of its summoner.

Which could only mean Hiei had spared the former king's life.

Because he loved her too much to lose her.

Sango's heart felt like lead. She could barely raise her eyes as a camera-girl on her flying eyeball suddenly dove her way.

"Yoo-hoo! Up here! Aren't you # 5184? We've been looking for you! You need to hurry - the third match of Group D is about to start! Come on, or you're going to miss your very own fight!"

Sango blinked in confusion.

The girl neatly parked her winged demon beside the taiji-ya and chivied her up behind her, saying with a grin, "Now hold on tight! Up we go!"

They rapidly climbed to a dizzying height, and Sango had to hang on to the girl's bare waist as they swooped past the okininju stalk for Group C on her way to Group D's.

"Oh, isn't that just sweet!Why, look how they're holding each other! Oh, that is just _adorable!"_ the girl italicized, and Sango stared down at the sight of Hiei slumping into a kneeling Mukuro's waiting arms. She numbly watched as the fire demon's red eyes slowly closed as the two demons leaned into each other, and then deliberately turned her burning eyes away.

ooOOOoo

Mukuro hugged the short demon to her, her heart full as the heady joy spread over her at the freedom he had just given her. Hiei had broken through the metal shackles - both physically and metaphorically - that had chained her for so long to the past, and she could never repay the demon's gift to her.

Hiei was right. There _were_ things worth living for, for both of them. And gods, did she love him, like she had loved no other. Loved him for the darkness of his heart, the strength of his spirit, the bitterness of his pain and the fortitude that saw him through. They understood each other so completely, would always have that understanding. And she would always have the pain of knowing and understanding him so thoroughly that while he returned her love, he could not love her as she loved him for there -

_*Is another.* _His thoughts blended with hers, their contact so achingly close even as they both had to carefully put the distance back between them.

_*And more than just another,* _she added lightly, and he nodded, a faint movement of his chin against her shoulder, his spiky black hair brushing along her cheek. She loved him for the regret in his voice, for the gentle apology as his strong arms came up to hug her lightly to him before he finally, resolutely, let her go.

She felt empty, bereft.

_*Not empty,* _he said as he lurched back to his feet, exhaustion written in every line of him. He cast a significant look behind her, and Mukuro turned in surprise to catch the stolid presence of her ever-loyal commander behind her.

Kirin.

He nodded once to Hiei, and then bent solicitously over her. Mukuro took his calloused hand in dawning wonder as the strong muscles of his arm firmed beneath her light touch to help her back up on her feet. She stared up at him, at the intensity of feeling and respect in his eyes.

No. Not empty at all…


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: The YYH anime doesn't really go into detail about Koku's youkai nature, so I invented my own. Hope you likey. =) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA, MAJOR CUSSING AND RUN-ON SENTENCES

_**Chapter Forty-One**_

Koku was perched on a handy stump, crossed leg swinging lazily and Jack keeping her company as the camera-girl expertly parked on the stone dais that served as the main battle arena. Quickly finishing him off, the demoness negligently tossed the empty bottle over her shoulder before standing up with her hands on her hips.

"Took you long enough," she groused, eyes glinting like yellow diamonds. The green-gold of her hair was even more pronounced against the backdrop of dark pines.

"You shouldn't litter," the camera-girl scolded as Sango dismounted. The giant blue eyeball rolled back at her as she circled around the winged demon.

Koku smirked. "So go fetch it, furry, if it offends you so much. Might as well pick up all the guys - Jim and José and Cap'n Morgan." She pointed at the shiny glint of other abandoned bottles that lay around the grassy stump. Sango wondered where the woman managed to stash all those "friends" of hers, as the skin-tight maroon leotard and shiny blue spandex didn't leave much room.

The camera-girl scowled, but stiffened when Koto's voice over the speaker on her handlebars demanded shrilly what was taking so long. "We got rabid demons drooling for a good chick fight, Yuki! What's the hold up?"

"Oh, right! Sorry, Koto! They're stepping into the ring now." The girl wagged her head for them to hurry as her optic demon unfurled its wings.

Koku grinned, showing sharp canines. "Well, I know I'm ready." She rolled her bare shoulders and cracked her knit fingers as she stretched her arms out. Strolling over to the far side of the dais, she gave Sango a hard look as she gingerly followed. "And don't think I'm going to go easy on you, honey! I'm here to _win!"_

"I expect nothing less," Sango said, a bite to her voice as she took her place across from the blonde youkai. Closing her eyes, she deliberately pushed all her inner turmoil aside as she readied herself for battle. This was it. This was where she was going to test how well she had learned to control her dual nature. She wasn't going to use anything but her own abilities, as she had purposely left her sword and knives behind. Now was the chance for her to show what she was truly made of.

Drawing her jyaki around her like a hug, Sango opened her eyes. The mahogany depths were now burnt into cherry as the crimson of her called demon energy stained them. Shoulders loose and weight resting lightly on the balls of her feet, she waited.

Koku smirked as she brought her flat hands up in a classic stance.

"All right, ladies!" The camera-girl flew up, the wind of her launch back into the sky rustling dead leaves across the stone circle between them. Yuki brought her raised hand down in a sweeping motion. "Begin!"

ooOOOoo

Yusuke quit trying to persuade that irritating, stupid-stubborn fox to finally go to the hospital when he realized that that hot chick hanging off the back of the cute camera-girl flying by was Sango-Anei-whatever-her-name-now-was.

"Ooh, aye, that be Lily, lad!" Jin agreed, his piercing blue gaze following the giant eyeball's line of flight as it winged past Hiei's okininju stalk and on to the next.

Meeting Kurama's green eyes, Yusuke sighed. "Damn it. All right, fox. We'll stay for this one, too. But then your ass is going to the hospital!"

"Only if I need it." Kurama winced as he tried to stand on his own, Yusuke still propping him up under one arm. At least the bleeding had stopped, the wounds closing with a remarkable alacrity considering the normal time it took for the redhead to heal.

Kurama suddenly tensed, his head turning sharply to the right. "Hiei - "

Eying the dark figure slowly making his way towards them, Yusuke sucked in his breath as he read the short demon's erratic energy signature. "Damn it. You guys sure are a pain in the ass. Jin, Touya - hurry and take Kurama. I gotta go grab that idiot before he falls flat on his face in the dirt!"

"Oh, aye - " Yusuke surrendered Kurama to Jin. The fox looked unhappy at not being able to follow as the former Spirit Detective took off. He was at the stubborn apparition's side in a matter of seconds. And none too soon, for Hiei slumped right into his braced arms, growling he didn't need help even as Yusuke lifted his heavy ass up.

"God, three eyes, what the hell have you been eating? You sure have packed on the pounds!" Yusuke twitted to try and ease the shorter demon's discomfort over the need for his help.

"Shut up, detective." Hiei wearily pushed the sweaty bangs back from his Jagan, his red eyes closing as the third eye expanded, the pupil growing in the lavender depths in a strange way. "I have to see…"

"You've already exhausted too much of your jyaki, idiot." Yusuke scowled, already knowing it was in vain.

"Hn." The demon's lips quirked but he remained focused on his task with the singular tenacity that Yusuke both admired and found so damn annoying in his stubborn friend.

"Well, it's your coma." The detective shrugged, and started slogging back to their friends, hauling the short apparition along with him.

ooOOOoo

The brush of the fire demon's thoughts was a whisper across his own, and Kurama stiffened. Jin looked at him questioningly, but Kurama only shook his head as he closed his eyes to better focus. Hiei's mental link was fragile, his energy reserves nearly depleted. Having only a minor talent himself, Kurama could at least use his better energy levels to anchor the link and support the fire demon with his own jyaki. He leaned lightly against Jin, letting the taller wind demon take some of his weight as he mentally funneled energy to the grateful apparition.

_*Hiei - grateful?* _The odd thought brought a wan smile to the fox's lips as the fire demon sent him an offended scowl of emotion. The whisper of his thoughts was so light when compared to normal, and all because his energy was so low.

_*Perhaps you shouldn't be wasting your energy this way, Hiei. Although I _am_ grateful you're allowing me to see - *_

_*Shut up.* _The demon managed to thrust those words through, though there was no bite to them.

"Heh." Kurama let the smile ghost across his mouth before the hazy image of two women facing off formed inside his mind. He lost awareness of the world around him as he sharpened his mental focus on it.

Sango's fight had begun.

ooOOOoo

Koku's first move was predictable enough - a short blast of pure jyaki, yellow-gold in color, to test her resources. Rather than meet it with her own blast, as most demons would do, Sango only swept it aside. Her jyaki-fed winds pushed it to the left even as they circled hungrily around it. Koku's golden energy flared wildly across the dais, leaving a trail of smoking stone in its wake.

Koku grinned. "Not bad. At least, for an amateur."

Sango raised a brow. "You think that was it? You underestimate me, demon."

Twisting her open palm in a snake-dancing pattern, Sango suddenly closed her fist and sharply jerked her elbow back. Koku's yellow eyes widened just before she staggered off-balance, yanked forward by one caught wrist.

"What the…?"

The demoness clutched her wrist with her free hand, trying to regain control as Sango took a step back, dragging her forward so that she fell to her knees. Koku's eyes narrowed, and then, throwing her head back, she laughed. Taken aback, Sango stared at her.

"Ah, I see! You used the dissipating trail of my own jyaki to twist your winds around it and follow it right back to my hand so you could capture it. Nice move, honey, but it can't keep an S-class demon like me trapped for long!"

Baring her lengthening nails - which now resembled claws - Koku did the unexpected, and plunged them right into her own wrist. Blood smeared across the fair skin, and it sizzled where it dribbled over the invisible air-currents Sango had wrapped around her wrist. They were highlighted into sparkling gold relief before literally dissolving under the woman's stronger jyaki.

Sango wasn't stupid enough to wait for the woman to retaliate, and was already diving out of the way as a pure blast of golden energy scorched the spot she'd just been standing.

"My blood burns hotter than yours, hanyou!" Koku taunted, flicking the blood off her claws and then adding solidity to the tiny red droplets. They hung in midair, glittering like tiny rubies as they elongated into diamond shape, the pointy edges wickedly sharp.

"Better get a move on it, babe!" Koku grinned, and then shouted, "Bleeding Heart Adamant Strike!"

The shards moved so quickly Sango could barely get out of the way. She hand-sprang back on one arm, pivoting her extended legs at the last minute to avoid the twisting rain of deadly shards as they eerily mimicked each of her movements. Crap. Like her giant boomerang, they were spinning back on their axis. Koku stood up, arms crossed as she smirked, content to let the blood-formed rubies do their job.

Sango jumped away, barely touching the ground with one pink sneaker to help spring her up above the ruby pursuit. She quickly summoned her winds in a protective barrier around her, shouting, "Crosswinds Barrier!" to help focus the airy energies of the defensive maneuver. Most of the rubies were swept aside to land in a splatter of blood across the ground, but one shard managed to win past her barrier and scratch her cheek. The light wound stung sharply, but Sango only wiped the blood away as Koku laughed.

"First blood!" she mocked, and then launched herself up to Sango's airborne position, one fist drawn back for a hard strike.

"First _mistake - " _Sango replied, taking the punch on her crossed arms, and then kneed the haughty bitch in the stomach. Koku's eyes bulged, and Sango followed it up with a flurry of chops that the woman barely staved off, mostly due to Sango's inability to stay airborne for long. She felt her body dropping back to the earth as the wind slipped, and rolled under the demoness's reflexive white-booted stomp for her head.

"Dirty," Sango growled as she stood up, feet back on dry land. Koku landed several yards away. The demoness only grinned, showing her fangs.

"All's fair in love and war, babe."

And then they sprang at each other, striking and twisting and dodging and chopping and punching and kicking in movements almost too fast to follow. Damn, but that crazy drunk was quick! Almost as quick as Hiei. Sango could barely keep up with her, and knew that it would be the woman's speed that eventually overcame her own greater knowledge of martial arts.

Back-flipping to avoid the woman's roundhouse kick-and-chop, Sango decided to up the ante. Calling jyaki to her fist, which glowed in fuchsia-fired brilliance, she threw it forward with a harsh grunt. The blast widened, and Koku laughed in delight even as she abruptly disappeared. Sango's eyes widened just a second before she felt claws dig deep into her shoulder, turning her slightly for the woman's white-knuckled fist.

"You're slow, hanyou!"

She shuddered under the impact, feeling the blow right down to her toes. Gods, that woman had a mean right hook! Growling, Sango jabbed a sharp elbow into the woman's midriff, forcing her to let go, and landed a hard fist upside her jaw. Koku's growl was bitten off as she literally fanged her lip, and she abruptly teleported. The demoness reappeared several yards away, wiping her bloody lip with hot eyes. She stared at the bright blood on her upraised finger and than stuck it inside her mouth to lick it clean.

Ugh. What was it with demons and their taste for their own blood? Koku smirked at Sango's expression of disgust, and mouthed "Yum!" as she took her time.

Rolling her eyes, Sango drew the jyaki in the wind around her until she fairly glowed with it. Her body thrummed with the surging energies, and she felt it lift her off a foot or two from the ground as she concentrated.

"Oh, my." Koku dramatically pretended to quiver in fear. "Not that again!"

Sango's reddening eyes narrowed, and she threw the energy out in a cresting wave that knocked the drama queen right off her retro, spiky-heeled boots. Flipping up to meet it, Koku rode the curling wind like a surfboard, crazily shouting, "Wheeeee!" as Sango's eyes widened in utter disbelief.

The wind eventually dissipated as the jyaki that drove it faded, and Sango watched as the beautiful youkai floated back down to the earth. She flipped her messy green-blonde ponytail over her shoulder and put one hand on her hip as she struck a cocky pose. "That was fun, honey, but now it's time to _really_ start rocking!"

The demon lit up like a supernova, and cracks appeared in racing spider webs in what was left of the stony dais between them. Chunks of rock and boulder-sized stone broke free, rising up as Koku's yellow eyes glittered like diamonds.

Shit!

Sango was already running before the first rock cracked into the tree behind her. She skidded left, right, twisting around the giant pine trees to avoid being crushed as stony death reined down upon her. She finally took to the tree tops, hoping to rise above the continual assault as she coughed on the dust rising from Koku's attack. But the rocky meteors were now curving up over the top of the pine trees as the demon's laughter eerily rang out across the forest.

_*Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit.* _Sango swore and jumped and dove, thankful for Jin's rough lessons on how to "bounce." The rocks and boulders hurling behind her crashed into trees she barely escaped, smashing into smaller pebbles that pinged her sharply upon impact. A hard pebble gave her a good bruise on her upper right arm, and she hissed. She was tired of this game, and so spun herself in midair, summoning the wind with a snarl.

"Crosswinds Barrier Aerial Reverse!"

The wind came with a shriek, the various air streams whipping past Sango to fling the flying rocks back on the cocky bitch who floated up above the trees to better direct her attack. Koku's eyes widened, and she threw her arms up to try and stave off the rocky bombardment now flung back at her, but she disappeared among the rain of rubble.

Sango landed tiredly in a tree, and wiped her sweaty bangs back as she panted. She knew she only had a minute - a youkai of Koku's strength wouldn't be held up for long by being buried under a loose avalanche. Damn but that woman was _good! _Sango knew with dawning apprehension that Koku was better than her. Far better. But that didn't mean she was going to just roll over and let the crazy bitch win.

_*Over my dead body!* _she vowed, and pumped air into her lungs to still her pants as she swept her arms up, hauling the wind back to her in a spinning ball of protection. And just in time, as the rocks exploded from around Koku, freeing the demoness as she snarled some insult lost on the shrieking turbulence surrounding Sango. Probably something inane like "Die, you bitch!" since the broken rocks around the woman started glowing like molten lava.

Sango jumped back, the protective winds around her adding an extra bounce to her leap - though damn if being in the middle of that spinning vortex didn't make her feel like a hamster in its plastic ball. But most attacks would be swept aside by the continuously spinning winds, and it gave her an extra mobility she didn't have to think about. She continued to leap back as she warily watched the glowing rocks assume a particular diamond-cut shape, flaring into white fire before they finally solidified into brilliant yellow gems.

Gems - no, not gems, but diamonds. Sango's eyes widened, and she finally understood what Koku's strange aura portended. Koku was an adamant demon - a yellow diamond apparition. Diamonds were the hardest substance known to man, and Koku's earth affinity allowed her to manipulate and even reshape the very rocks into her own impenetrable missiles.

Now the shit really hit the fan - literally, for the first wave of glittering yellow death was barely turned by Sango's protective barrier, the second winning through as the jyaki-fed winds were ripped apart by the first. Sango cried out as a razor-sharp edge sliced along her arm, another across her thigh. She protected her head with her arms, taking multiple cuts along her braced forearms as she blindly flung herself out of the air.

She landed in a tangle of brambles, which tore the rags of her pink hoodie from her body as she lurched her way free. She impatiently tugged the last stubborn sleeve off her wrist as she twisted out of the way as those freaky yellow rocks arced down towards her vulnerably exposed position.

Damn it! She barely avoided the explosion of earth as the giant yellow diamonds thudded into the brambles, decimating the area under their impact. She wove among the thick trees, hoping to hide her tracks as she pushed the pain of her multiple wounds aside to focus on how she could turn this fight back in her favor. She felt a distinctive aura on her left, and whirled, both hands shooting up palm-down to fire multiple wind blades at the demon who ran alongside.

The trees were sliced in half between them and Sango grinned as a loud wail of protest signaled she'd gotten in a hit. But then those damn rubies were back, as Koku used her drawn blood to fire back at her. Sango cursed, stumbling over her own feet to get out of the way as they hurtled towards her, keeping up a shadowy mimicry of her own evasive maneuvers as they oriented on her jyaki.

She burst out of the forest and her eyes widened, the bloody tint dissolving into dark astonishment as the ground abruptly fell away. She plummeted down the side of the cliff, rolling herself into a protective ball as she hit the gods-granted water far below with a splash. The impetus of her fall drove her deep into the churning water. She felt her lungs burning for breath as she fought against the current, kicking out and swimming back up to the surface. She burst free of the water with a heaving sob, greedily filling her gasping lungs with blessed air. But a shadow loomed over her, and Sango choked as she saw the cliff-side she'd just fallen over literally break apart under Koku's jyaki-fired fists.

Wrenching the wind to her with a jerk, Sango bent all of her will to the task, calling a cyclone to form out of the churning water to bear her up out of the way of the falling cliff-side. She barely escaped as the split rocks thudded in big chunks with torn globs of dirt and grass and earth. She couldn't hold such a powerful force of nature as a water spout, and sent it cresting after the falling avalanche, catching a surprised Koku in the watery wave that shot nearly three hundred feet into the air. The demoness screamed in fury before abruptly sinking under that wind-driven wave, and Sango fell like a limp doll back to the water, her jyaki temporarily spent in that harried blast.

The water closed back over her head, and she kicked feebly, dragging herself up by will alone as she grit her teeth and renewed her efforts. The swirling water was a muddy blur around her, but she felt an up-surging current sweep up behind her as a particularly large chunk of earth settled to the bottom of the pool. Sango rode the current up and out as it unceremoniously spat her up on the muddy bank.

She gasped and choked, coughing the water out of her lungs as she lay there numb on the bank. The mud sucked noisily at her body as she arched her spine, forcing her elbows to brace her weight as she looked around for her opponent.

Koku was sprawled on her back, golden eyes wide as she stared up at the sky as her breasts heaved with the effort to draw breath. Her green-golden hair was streaked with mud, her leotard a dark, indeterminable color as her torn spandex showed a creamy length of dirt-streaked thigh. Her eyes flicked to Sango, and she surprisingly grinned.

"Gods, that was great!"

That bitch was on crack.

"C'mon, hanyou, I know that's not all you got!" Koku staggered to her feet, pausing to puke water - and probably ten bottles of booze - out of her lungs as she braced her hands on her knees before finally wiping the residue away with the back of her hand. "What, are you going to just lay there like some weakling?"

"I - " Sango pushed herself off of the ground even as her arms trembled with fatigue, her dark eyes narrowing as they bled into ire, "am not weak!"

She threw herself at the woman, fist punching forward to drive her back on her ass in the mud. Koku flew back with a surprised shout of delight, and slipped in the mud trying to get back on her feet. "Oh, you are going to pay for that, babe!"

"Please! Your ass can't even get up!" Sango growled, slipping herself as she tried to run forward. She landed painfully on her hip, snarling angrily as she spun across the smooth mud before digging her knees in and lurching back up to her feet.

"Looks like you have the same problem, honey!" Koku threw a ball of mud at her, and Sango wiped it off her cheek with a growl before flinging herself at the woman, knocking her laughing ass over with one shoulder and then straddling her to keep her down. Koku immediately flipped them over, and they wrestled in the mud, both sliding and losing grip in the slippery muck as they hurled insults and blows with equal abandon and little effectiveness.

Sango managed to slap a double-handful of mud right in the woman's face, and Koku dragged it off of her with a snarl. "Why, you dirty little _bitch - _"

The yellow eyes bled for the first time, and Sango froze.

ooOOOoo

"Oh, god, that's fucking _hot,"_ Shishi breathed, eyes riveted to the screen as they all were.

Chuu, for once without words, simply nodded in awe as the two women continued to wrestle in the mud, which clung to their bodies as tightly as their drenched clothing clung to their curves. All those luscious curves and all that sliding skin, all those long fingers grappling over one another as they rolled about in the mud. Oh, sweet Jesus…

"I don't get it," Rinku said, scowling.

"You will, bledger, one day," Chuu said kindly, eyes still pinned to the screen.

"I don't get it, either," Lord Tenga deliberately drawled, studying his manicured nails.

"At least one person understands!" Rinku said, oblivious.

Shishi just shook his head as Lord Tenga smirked.

ooOOOoo

"Crap, I don't know what just happened, but there's a whole _shit-load_ of jyaki suddenly being pulled up onto that okininju stalk!" Yusuke stared up at the distant plateau in awe.

"No lie, lad," Jin said, worry in his frank blue eyes as he repositioned the fox's weight against him. Kurama's head was bowed, a faint frown turning the edges of his mouth down as his thick lashes fluttered in a mimicry of REM sleep. His awareness was drawn inward like Hiei's, traveling somewhere up _there_ on the Jagan.

"That battle's coming to a head," Touya said quietly.

"Aye," Jin agreed. "But I don't like the surge of that energy, lad, I don't. It be too strong for Lily."

"Yeah."

Yusuke stared down at the exhausted apparition in his arms, but Hiei didn't stir, the neon-green glow surrounding the Jagan continuing to pulse in time with his slow, steady heartbeat.

ooOOOoo

The mud literally peeled off of Koku as she rose, her body glowing in flickering fuchsia fire as her red eyes turned white hot in rising anger. _This_ was the power of a thousand-year-old, S-class demoness in full fury, and a part of Sango watched in stunned admiration even as another part quailed before it. Gritting her teeth, she refused to bow beneath that greater power, and answered the demoness's challenge with her own sharp summoning.

The jyaki sang along her blood, wrapped as one with her chi as it had always been - though for a long time she'd been blind to it, until Hiei and Kurama had shown her in the Forest of Fools how to see it. She felt the white fire of human energy flickering along the edges of the deeper fuchsia snarl of her jyaki, and her heart started racing as the center of her concentrated power drew it in until she burned with it. She felt the sticky mud splatter off of her as the cleansing winds she gathered blasted it away, and her eyes glowed into the bloody orbs of the Wind Sorceress whose heart beat a rising staccato inside her chest.

This was what she'd been striving for. This singular moment, when she would pit her new strength and determination against another worthy enough of the effort. Like Touya had said - burning her candle to its dimmest state, she would find out what she was now made of! Elation filled her as Sango met Koku's snarl with a ringing cry of challenge. The jyaki exploded out of each of them to meet in a spectacular flare of energy that battled for supremacy as each woman applied their stubborn will against the other, striving for mastery.

The demoness's mastery was hundreds of times her level, and the spectral fires of Koku's jyaki quickly surrounded her smaller, burning nova of concentrated energies. The bigger fire battered at her edges, seeking to snuff it out beneath its greater weight. But Sango hung on with grim determination, her jyaki a flaring white beacon against the woman's fuchsia ire.

"I will not stop! I will not die! I will never, ever, _give up!" _Sango screamed in defiance, her throat working convulsively though no sound emerged. Never, ever, _no,_ _never_ - not _then - _and certainly not_ now!_

_"I am,"_she shrieked, and the world went white as she poured every ounce of her heart and soul into the declaration, _"the __**WIND!"**_

ooOOOoo

A twister formed on Group D's okininju stalk, funneling straight up to the sky in a blast of airy white light like a steaming geyser, pushing the pulsing fuchsia energies around it aside as it shot straight to the heavens. The clouds roiled, dissolving under that singular blast of raw wind energy as it pierced through the constant cloud cover. A strange, ghostly white light filled the area. Yusuke's mouth fell open as he saw the seldom-glimpsed, full moon's face, wrinkled and wise, framed in that hole in the sky. The wind abruptly thinned, slowly sinking back down to the plateau as the fuchsia energy engulfed it in muffling waves before they, too, flickered and died.

A lone wind whistled over the grassy plain, ruffling the dark bangs on the short apparition Yusuke still held in his arms. Hiei's red eyes opened, the Jagan shrinking, and he tiredly smirked.

"She lost," was all he said before his eyes rolled up in his head and he literally passed out.

"She lost?" Yusuke stared up at the okininju stalk, before a wry chuckle had him staring back over his shoulder at the red-haired fox still hanging off of Jin.

"Might be she did, lad, but that…was something special," Jin said in quiet awe.

"She's whole," Touya strangely said, and the Wind Master solemnly nodded.

"Aye, she is at that, lad."

"Well, that's all well and good, but now the fun's over, don't you think it's time we get your butts to the hospital?" Yusuke inserted, pointedly glaring at Kurama, who still had a hand pressed to his side as he sagged wearily against Jin.

"Sango," he said roughly.

"Oh, aye, I can go and fetch her, fox. Let me just give you over to Touya, here-"

"No need," Touya said, arms crossing as the earth shuddered.

Yusuke suddenly grinned, recognizing the heavy, ground-shaking footfalls of his "father's" old friend.

"Is that a moving mountain?" Suzuka, quiet until now, demanded as he shaded his eyes to better see the shadowy forms emerging from the base of the okininju stalk across the gentle slope of the plain.

"Pretty much," Yusuke said, shrugging Hiei's heavy ass into a more comfortable position as they waited for the mountain to come to Mohammed.

"Gods, I hope you brought me a drink!" A shrill voice wafted towards them.

"Of course, my darling."

"At least you did that right, you big brick." There was the sound of a tab opening, and a glugging noise worthy of Chuu at his finest. Then a sudden, gagging spit. "Egh! What is this swill?"

"Well, sweetie, you did say to bring you something light - "

"Oh, holy god! This is _non-alcoholic _beer! You've got to be kidding me! Are you _insane? _Did that stupid ram in the first round knock you in the head one too many times? What were you _thinking?"_

"Now, Koku, sweetie - "

"Don't Koku-sweetie me, you big oaf!" The demoness easily crushed the can in her hand into a flat disk and chucked it over her shoulder. "Now quit teasing me and give me the good stuff!"

The red giant sighed, nodding towards his back pocket as he held the unconscious slayer in his big arms. The blonde demoness dove, retrieving the silver hip flask with a cry of triumph before greedily sucking down the contents.

"Gods, much better!" She wiped her flushed lips with the back of her wrist, and glared at their fascinated audience. "What are _you_ looking at?"

"Raizen Junior!" Enki shifted the tiny slayer over to one arm so he could wave.

"Hey, there, big guy," Yusuke greeted the giant, horned demon with a grin.

"What'd you do to him?" Koku demanded, jabbing a finger at Hiei.

Yusuke colored. "Ah, wasn't me."

"Hey, isn't that the little twerp that faced that crazy bitch Mukuro?" Koku leaned in for a closer look and almost fell over.

"Watch it, darling, you're still weak!"

"Just on jyaki, you big idiot! That wind witch drained me but good!"

"Did she now?" Jin looked happy at the thought as Kurama stiffened.

Koku's golden eyes narrowed. "Don't think I still can't kick _your_ ass, windy!"

"Sango," Kurama reminded, green eyes on the limp form who looked like a small child cradled against the huge demon's chest.

"Oh, sorry." Enki companionably grinned. He looked at Yusuke. "Mind if I do the honors?"

"The honors?" Yusuke looked confused as Koku rolled her eyes.

"God, you don't know shit, do you, half-breed? Shows what mixing your blood with a living world whore does - "

"Hey!" Yusuke bristled at the slight on his ancestress. True, Raizen had dumped Koku for that living world whore -

"Please," Touya said courteously to Enki, who nodded. Taking a deep breath, the red giant closed his eyes. The flare of his enormous aura enveloped them all in hellish flames until they abruptly disappeared, leaving the grassy plain empty.


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thought I might supply some fireworks, in celebration of the Fourth of July. ;o) _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA, YAOI LIME

_**Chapter Forty-Two**_

Hiei blinked.

"Hey, three eyes. Glad you're back from the dead."

_*Yusuke,* _his mind supplied, and grunted a short reply as he forced his reluctant body to move, his muscles knotting when he tried to sit up.

"Here, let me help you." A strong arm wrapped around his wide shoulders and gently propped him up against the piled pillows. The earthy scent of growing things filled his nose, and Hiei looked up into verdant green eyes beneath a fiery fall of long, red hair.

"Kurama," he croaked, his throat dry. How long had he been out?

"A full day," the redhead supplied, solicitously offering him a water bottle. Had he spoken that thought aloud?

_*No,* _the fox's warm voice echoed inside his head. Hiei's red eyes narrowed as the fox deliberately looked away and back towards their friend, who stood on the other side of the hospital bed, arms crossed and grin stupid.

"What…happened?" Hiei demanded between sips of water. Drawing his knees up, he pretended it wasn't weakness that had him resting his elbows on them to hide the betraying tremor of fatigued muscles.

"Well, I'd say you got your ass kicked by a _girl_," Yusuke started teasing and then abruptly quit, catching sight of Kurama's expression. Scratching the back of his neck, he shrugged. "Um, what I meant to say is, that you basically passed out after Anei - "

"Sango," he growled.

"Who the hell can keep track?" Yusuke demanded, and then rolled his eyes at the expression on both. "Fine. Sango, then. Well, your dumb ass finally passed out after exhausting yourself using the Jagan to watch Sango get _her_ ass kicked."

"She didn't get her ass kicked, Yusuke." Kurama straightened, look ineffable. "Sango did very well, considering her adversary was an S-class demon."

"I'll say." Yusuke grinned. "Koku's one bad ass bitch. Crazy as all hell, but still packing quite a bit of power."

"Could you do so well, detective?" The bite in the fox's soft voice surprised Hiei, for Kurama wasn't normally so confrontational.

"I guess we'll find out, won't we, Kurama?" There was a silent exchange between the two, as if Yusuke was challenging Kurama in turn. A small smile tugged at the fox's mouth.

"Heh. Yes, we will."

"Would you mind telling me what that's about?" Hiei demanded crossly, and the two men started, as if surprised that he was still . Humans.

Yusuke shrugged uncomfortably. "Ah, it's not really a big deal. I'm just going up against Yomi tomorrow night, since I won through the third round a couple of hours ago."

"I disagree," Kurama said. "It's quite a big deal, detective."

It was a big deal, actually. Yomi was twice as powerful as Yusuke, no matter how hard the boy had trained over the past year. Hiei frowned, but knew Yusuke wouldn't care for his opinion on the matter, so changed the subject. "What about you, fox?"

An elegant brow rose. "What about me?"

"Did you make it through or not?" Hiei snapped, irritated that he had missed the whole third round after over-extending himself. He wouldn't admit that the damn detective was right. He shouldn't have used the Jagan to watch Sango fight after exhausting himself in the battle with Mukuro.

"He didn't participate," Yusuke said, scowling.

Hiei's red eyes cut to the fox, silently demanding an explanation.

Kurama shrugged. "I withdrew. I was too spent from my own battle in the second round to be able to fight effectively." His green eyes turned opaque as he stared somewhere past the detective's shoulder as he quietly added, "Besides, I already got what I needed from this tournament."

Studying the serene expression, Hiei grunted. Very well. He'd leave it alone for now, but Kurama owed him an explanation once Yusuke left.

_*Agreed,* _Kurama silently promised, and Hiei smirked. He should probably be disturbed over how easily they could read one another's thoughts now, but he wasn't, and that was ever enough for him.

"Where's the hanyou?" he demanded instead, and Kurama smiled faintly at the deliberate moniker.

"Resting," the fox reassured him. "In her own room, on the third floor. Jin is with her."

"Jin." Hiei scowled, a strange jealousy stealing through him at the thought of that barely-coherent buffoon alone with the taiji-ya. The feeling startled him, but he simply accepted it as he always had anything. What he felt, he felt. He'd never questioned himself before, and he wouldn't start now. But he didn't have to like it.

Yusuke pinned him with a quizzical look, which slowly brightened as that annoying grin grew. "Oh-ho! What's this? Are you _jealous_, three eyes?"

"Shut up, detective," Hiei reflexively growled, and surprisingly, Yusuke did. Though the detective's insight was uncomfortable, for he suddenly started inching toward the door.

"Well, I think I should leave you two alone so you can talk…" Yusuke flipped a wave over his shoulder. "Glad to see you doing better, short stuff!"

Silence descended as Hiei stared at Kurama and Kurama stared out the window.

"Out with it, fox."

Starting, Kurama turned to look down at him. He nodded, and brusquely took a seat on the padded chair between his bed and the empty one beyond. The fiery head bowed, as if the fox were considering how best to formulate his response.

ooOOOoo

The fire demon's testy impatience was such a part of him it made Kurama smile faintly even as he steepled his fingers in front of him and began slowly, "You know my history. I don't have to explain the dilemma that has existed for me since my human mother first fell ill."

Hiei sharply nodded, those red eyes missing nothing. They rarely did.

"You know the struggle inside my heart, whether or not I should give in to Youko, and finally do as he'd always intended - "

Hiei's eyes narrowed, but he didn't interrupt.

"Well, that question has finally been settled." Shifting his gaze, Kurama stared directly into the scarlet eyes, letting the golden light seep through the dark green depths.

"Hn." Not unexpected, that ambiguous grunt, but the smile wasn't.

"I'm glad, fox."

Surprised, Kurama looked at him. Hiei only smirked.

"There's more," he warned.

"Hn. Thought so." Hiei crossed his arms and waited.

"Shigure is dead."

Hiei shrugged, showing surprising unconcern for that fact. Troubled, Kurama explained slowly, "Before he died, he told me of the demands he made of both you and the taiji-ya - "

"The taiji-ya?" Hiei questioned sharply, indifference fading.

Surprised, Kurama said, "You didn't know? That it was Shigure who preformed the heart transplant on Sango so long ago?"

"No," Hiei growled. "Explain, fox."

He did, using short words of what he had learned from both the surgeon and the slayer herself. Hiei's eyes narrowed as he reiterated the promise Shigure had demanded in exchange for Kagura's heart. The similarity to his own promise was not lost on the fire demon, and the rising anger that radiated off of the short apparition in dark waves made Kurama glad that Hiei was still so low on energy.

"It's fortunate he's dead," Hiei said when Kurama finished, fairly seething with malice as his right hand, the dragon once again wrapped beneath sacred sutras, fisted. Ghostly black flames swirled over the bandages before subsiding.

"He suffered," was all Kurama offered, and Hiei smiled. It was a chilling smile, but one Kurama understood.

"Hn."

"But more importantly, Hiei, before he died, I made certain the surgeon took back the oaths he demanded of both you and Sango," Kurama said gently, offering the one gift he could to one of those he loved most. He knew Hiei could not return his regard in the way he would have liked - the fire demon was not as he, able to love a man as much as he could love a woman. But that didn't mean Kurama couldn't love the apparition in a way that he might, and that Hiei would welcome. As a friend and a brother. And this was one gift he could give him, at least.

"You can tell Yukina now," he softly explained, and met the smoldering red eyes that cut to his with a compassionate look.

Hiei looked down, both fists curling on top of his bent knees. "It doesn't matter. She will never know."

Shocked, Kurama sucked in his breath. "But - why?"

He couldn't understand it. Here he was giving Hiei the chance to have the family he'd never had and finally lay to rest poor Yukina's futile search for the twin brother who stood so close and yet still refusing to give her that.

"I don't want her to know," Hiei only said, not even explaining why he could do something so incredibly selfish. "She's happy now. Even with that bumbling idiot, Kuwabara."

"But, Hiei - " Kurama protested.

"Don't, fox." Hiei finally looked up at him, eyes cold and expression closed. "There are some things, even for _you_, that I won't compromise on."

It was incredibly selfish. Yukina deserved to know, if only so she could end her heartbreaking uncertainty. But Kurama knew there was no arguing with the stubborn apparition once his mind was made up. Even if he didn't like Hiei's decision, it wasn't his place to interfere. Though Hiei was foolish if he thought Kurama would let it go forever.

He sighed, finally relenting. "Very well. I'll keep your secret - for now."

Hiei shot him an unfathomable look. "Hn."

A tense silence fellbetween them as Kurama ironically thought that the demon's reaction wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting.

"What about the slayer?" Hiei abruptly growled.

"Sango?" Kurama shrugged, still disgruntled. "I'll tell her, but leave the decision up to her, as I did you."

"Hn."

The uncomfortable silence dragged out again, the tension only broken when Hiei demanded softly, "Why did you do it, fox? Why did you force Shigure to revoke his price on our behalf?"

"I had to," Kurama said simply, voice rough. He looked away, lest the golden swirl of emotion through his green eyes betray him. "You're my friends. I could do nothing less."

"Friends." There was a certain bite in the fire demon's voice that made Kurama look back at him with a frown."You don't torture your victims unduly, fox. I know how Shigure died."

Kurama felt his own anger rising. Hiei was cutting too close to the bone, even for him. "There lay a blood-debt between us," he growled, an edge to his normally mild tone. He wasn't the only one allowed to keep their damn secrets.

"A blood-debt," Hiei mused, the scorn prevalent. Tension fairly crackled in the air between them. Kurama, eyes in sun, stolidly met the challenge in the apparition's flat stare.

"I care about you," Kurama let himself admit, though he hastily amended, "You're my friends."

"The taiji-ya is not your _friend_," Hiei spat. "She's more to you, fox. Admit it."

It finally lay there between them, the stark truth that had tainted their close understanding and which they'd both been deliberately ignoring for so long.

"And not to you?" Kurama quickly challenged, hoping to deflect the demon's direction.

Hiei's eyes glittered. "Manipulating the conversation won't change the fact that you love her, fox, as much as I."

Kurama inhaled sharply, but did not refute it. The truth was finally, completely out, and he wondered what now lay between them, for they seemed at a standstill, staring at each other. He searched for the right words, his agile mind thinking too many thoughts to pin any single one down. Would Hiei press his claim now on the taiji-ya? Could _he_ let him? He'd been so determined before to step aside for them, but he could not. Gods, he could not. Not now, anyway.

But - could they share her? Would that even be possible? For Hiei was not overly generous in his affection. In fact, the demon had always struck Kurama as rather territorial and jealous. That was one of the things he found most intriguing about the apparition, that Hiei embodied all of the fire of passion while denying it so utterly. Always controlling the darker emotions that burned ever so hot within him, so completely demonic in his darkness, even in the fierce will he exerted to control it.

What, he wondered, had changed? What had brought Hiei to this realization, this honesty with himself? What had made him whole?

_*You.* _The apparition's thought came out of nowhere, spearing right through his own racing, jumbled distraction. Kurama started, his eyes focusing on the enigmatic red gaze.

"Hn." Hiei smirked. "As always, fox, you think too damn much."

And then he kissed him - hard.

Stunned, Kurama's green eyes widened at the feel of that hot mouth on his, the firm lips as hard as the strong, compact body pressing him back into the chair. The capable, sword-calloused palms curled around his shoulders with a hard grip, blunt fingers digging as if daring to shake him loose.

Kurama's eyes slowly closed, and he gave himself up to the feel of that hard mouth moving over his, so different from a woman's softness, but not so that it was a turn off. No, there was something so indefinably _male_ about a man's kiss, so different from a woman's and yet so much the same. For Hiei's lips were softening even as his were, the savage claiming turning into something almost tentative and exploring as they exchanged heated breaths and their mouths slid along each other's. He could feel Hiei's curiosity burning into his mind, how the demon compared his own mouth to Sango's. It was somehow bleeding through their own kiss, so that he experienced with Hiei that memory of the taiji-ya's warm mouth even as he was dominated by the apparition's rough caress.

Yes, Hiei would try to dominate, that was in his nature. And Kurama wouldn't always be averse to letting him. But Kurama was also fully youkai, and not one to take the challenge to his own inherent authority lightly. And he had a skill the fire demon lacked, eager as Hiei was. And he ruthlessly used that skill to swiftly turn the tables on the apparition, and show the fire demon he could dominate in turn.

His elegant hands rose to cup Hiei's hard jaw, tilting it slightly as he deliberately licked across the demon's lips. Hiei made an inarticulate sound, and Kurama smiled darkly against his mouth before deepening the kiss. His tongue swept inside to twine with his, exploring the demon's heat as he always desired. He used every sensual weapon in his considerable arsenal, even letting his canines grow so that he could nip the demon's lips sharply, showing him by example the darker pleasures a demon was capable of. Hiei stiffened, and Kurama opened his eyes just enough to see the smoldering heat in the heavy-lidded, scarlet gaze. He moaned at the rampant desire, so much a challenge and so much a promise.

And then he closed his eyes and groaned, tilting his head back as he felt that hot mouth leave his to nibble down his jaw. He hissed at the feel of Hiei's fangs now nipping him in turn, that hot tongue lathing a path down his throat. His Adam's apple worked convulsively, and Hiei's dark chuckle made him smirk. Yes, the demon was an apt student, plucking the thoughts right out of his very mind and turning the tables back on him. Oh, kami, he had never felt such heat. Hiei was like a burning brand in his arms, and Kurama could not keep the feral growl as the demon trailed hot kisses down his clavicle, opening the first button on his silk shirt...

Kurama made an inarticulate noise, and wrapped his hands around Hiei's wrists, stopping him from going further. Hiei growled, but Kurama only tightened his grip to show he meant it. "Hiei, _stop_. What - what is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning of…?" Hiei suddenly sat back with a short, sharp bark of laughter, and Kurama let his wrists go, baffled by the short demon's ironic derision. For he could feel the subtle undercurrent of irony to Hiei's thoughts, though the link wasn't as close as before. Was the kiss, then, only a cruel mockery? He didn't think Hiei was capable of that kind of cruelty, at least, not towards him, but -

"You can be such a fool sometimes, fox," Hiei said, the bite in his voice one of impatience.

Offended, Kurama growled, his eyes quickly heating into liquid gold even as he tried to wrestle his emotions back. With Youko and him now twined, it was so much more difficult to control the emotions so much closer to the surface. "Don't mock me, demon," he said sharply, the throaty growl of his kitsune form bleeding through his normally mild voice.

"And don't think so little of me, fox," Hiei said, red eyes cool and dangerous. "There are lines, even for _you."_

"Lines," Kurama said in disbelief. "And you didn't just cross one, Hiei?"

Hiei smirked, surprisingly sitting back on the bed and eyes glowing with derisive amusement. "Hn. You should know I will always test the limits, fox."

"That's not funny," Kurama said coldly. "And this is not some trifle for your amusement." This was his heart, which was wrenched painfully by the scorn in the fire demon's scathing gaze.

"My _amusement?" _Hiei spat. "You fool!"

Kurama felt his eyes bleeding as the anger escaped him. "You dare - "

"Yes, I dare." Hiei growled back, aura darkening around him as his own anger rose. "I will always _dare_, Kurama. Because I know you won't let yourself. Because you have some stupid self-limiting fear that won't take the chance on being hurt. When you know damn well that you're limiting yourself because of that same fear."

"_You_ say _that_ to _me_," Kurama growled, fingers digging into the armrests and claws elongating in his growing fury. "When you left Sango, after what you shared? You're telling me it wasn't _fear_ that drove you to abandon her when she needed you most?"

The fierce glitter suddenly died from the challenging red stare, and Hiei admitted quietly, "It was."

Taken aback, Kurama's own anger suddenly dissipated like smoke. "Hiei - "

"Hn." Hiei crossed his arms. "Think I can't admit when I've been wrong, fox? You give me too little credit."

Kurama let his chagrin show. "That's true. It seems we both have some things we need to work on. Because you're right. It _is_ fear that often stops me from even admitting to myself how deeply I care about - others."

"Others," Hiei scoffed, that challenge back in his red eyes. "You're not going to admit it, are you, fox?"

Kurama's eyes narrowed.

"Hn." Hiei's lips quirked, as if he found it amusing that he would have to be the one to ignite it. "Fine. And since the only way I think you'll believe me is if I spell it out in a way you can't argue, than - "

The Jagan's expansion was the only warning Kurama had before Hiei was there, inside his mind, in a way that had never happened before. The fire demon pierced through the surface layer to delve into pure emotion in an intimacy that had never occurred before between them. Hiei would never dare drop his barriers to expose himself so fully to another, and Kurama's surprise was met with a dark laugh, as if Hiei knew that, too. And the dark flame of his thoughts wrapped around Kurama's like an embrace, and Kurama suddenly understood. Understood in a way that Hiei was right, in a way he could not argue.

For the demon loved him. _Him_, Kurama, with all his faults and flaws and strengths and unique qualities. Loved him for his complexity and ruthlessness, forgave him his mistakes and embraced him for his tenderness and consideration, and yes, even for his ruthlessness and sometimes petty narcissism. Loved him for the darker side of his youkai nature, now so much closer than ever before with Youko and he as one, and for the lighter compassion of his human heart. Accepted him for not only _who_ he was, but _what_ he was, making no excuses and holding no punches, but not caring, either, as was so inherently _Hiei_.

For Hiei didn't care. Had never, could never, the fire demon having always accepted himself as he was at any given moment with no self-question but for those raised in the last few months by Mukuro. For Kurama understood now how the former king had impelled Hiei for the first time to examine his values and perceptions and that which he'd always taken for granted or ignored. He understood, too, how the apparition had hated that self-examination, how the quiet doubt had eaten at him, for it was the first time he had ever felt it.

He understood, too, how it was tangled with the emptiness Hiei found in his life, the regret he had over what he had done to Sango, and yes, even the hunger that lay there in the ignored feelings the taiji-ya had engendered. The desire and protectiveness, even the anger at what Hiei considered a weakness of emotion and a betrayal of self for another that Hiei - so narcissistic as he, and Youko, could be, an extreme version of anyone's natural tendency for self-love - could not understand.

Kurama knew, now, how long Hiei had held a personal regard for him, even against the fire demon's own better judgment. It was why Hiei could forgive the betrayal of their earlier alliance, when they had robbed Spirit World of the Forlorn Hope and the Shadow Sword. He'd somehow gained the fire demon's grudging respect, and that humbled Kurama, for Hiei did not give it easily.

Over time, that respect and general regard had turned to friendship, and even, some understanding. Hiei, never one to cross-examine his motives, had never given it thought - until the fight with Mukuro had removed the last willful blinders from his eyes, sweeping aside the darkness of deliberate denial and opening them to the truth.

And Kurama was right. Once Hiei had let go of his fears, and yes, even the hatred engendered by the numerous betrayals already suffered by the Amiko, and finally freed his emotions, they burned hot within him. Finally allowing himself to admit that he _did_ care for both the fox and the slayer, it was all-consuming and absolute. The clarity and acceptance of that love was so readily embraced by the fire demon that it humbled Kurama for his own continual self-question.

For there was a humbling truth in that understanding - Hiei was not, when all was said and done, attracted to men. But he understood Kurama _was._ And he accepted from Kurama what he would not from any other, and simply because Kurama was important to him. And while that might sit uneasily with Kurama - that Hiei would simply accept a sexual side to their relationship merely because _he_ wanted it - that was not it, either.

Hiei, uncaring Hiei, simply did not _care_. He saw the world in a uniquely simplistic, so-typically-Hiei way. He accepted that he loved both of them, for who they were and what they did for him, and did not care what body or form they wore. Male, female, even hanyou or human or kitsune, it did not matter. Hiei could not even understand why it meant so much to Kurama - those delicate social lines of what one would welcome or not during intimacy. Hiei had grown up with no social niceties, no greater mores other than the rough disregard instilled by the bandit who indifferently raised him. He even defined his nebulous annoyance with society's dictates by claiming society had rejected him long before he rejected it.

And that was that.

Simply, utterly, completely understood and accepted, end of story. For there was still that - some might say, failing - of Hiei's that he didn't question himself. He just accepted what he felt as what he felt at any given time. The only regret the fire demon had was for how long it took him to open his eyes to the truth, but even that was negligible, when all was said and done. For Hiei had a certain fatalism that believed things happened when they did for a reason he didn't care to define or worry about. And that -

"Hn." Hiei's smirked, gently withdrawing from the deep sharing of their innermost thoughts, his calloused palm gently cupping Kurama's cheek, still so uncertain with what caress might be welcomed or not, and from _him_ by anyone. "You think too much, fox. My feelings do not need to be analyzed to death. Just accept them."

"Heh." A slow smile curved the corner of Kurama's mouth as he stared into the red eyes, so lightly mocking. Hiei had always understood him so fully, perhaps even more than he, himself, did. But Hiei was right. He could do nothing but accept that it was what it was. And while that was normally so pessimistic a statement, it wasn't now.

Because it was what it was - which was wonderful.

"Let's go," Hiei said, getting stiffly to his feet.

"Where?" Kurama asked, careful not to help him, as Hiei would not want that, even now.

"To collect our third."

ooOOoo

_Second A/N: God I wuv love-triangles. _Real_ love-triangles. (wink)_


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Thank you so very much for all the kind reviews. I was nervous about the last chapter - I am not really a yaoi writer, but the challenge of writing a true FMM love-triangle was what first sparked the idea for this little story. I hope you'll enjoy reading this next chapter as much as I had writing it. Oh, the drama! ;oP_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA, MAJOR RUN-ON SENTENCES AND LIME-SCENTED SCENES

_**Chapter Forty-Three**_

"I'm here for a girl."

Eying the handsome demon, the receptionist propped her chin on one long tentacle and flirtatiously batted her single, giant eye. "Really?"

"Her name's Sango."

"Oh." The tentacled cyclops gave him a disgusted look. "_Her_."

"Yeah, her. Where is she? What room?" He impatiently crossed his arms.

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"I don't want to."

"What?"

She glared at him. "Well, you don't have to be so _rude_."

"Look, wench, I'm here to see Sango - "

"You and everyone else." The lip curled. "I swear, that girl has more men coming by to see her than is decent."

"Look, here, I'm an old friend - "

"Sure, you are," the youkai drawled out, pointedly curling her lip up even further. She could have made Elvis jealous.

"Look, you crazy b - "

"I wouldn't even finish that if I were you." She narrowed her single eye at him. "Unless you want to get kicked out of this hospital for disorderly conduct. And once the girl's finally able to accept visitors, you won't get a chance, and then all of those other guys will get one up on you, mutt-face."

_"Mutt-face?" _Kouga nearly howled.

"Eh, boss, maybe we should - " Hakkaku quickly steered the boiling wolf away as Ginta made a graceful enough apology that the cyclops let him sign their names into the visitor log before flicking a disdainful tentacle towards the waiting room.

Throwing off his anxious wolf-brother, Kouga stalked down the hallway, nose wrinkling from all the nasty ammonia lingering over everything. Gods, he hated hospitals. His poor schnoz would take months getting over the reek and back to its normal sensitivity. He would have high-tailed it out of this damn place as soon as he'd regained consciousness, but the two meatheads had found out that the slayer had been defeated in the second round of the Great Tournament, and was now somewhere on the third floor recovering.

He'd gone immediately to confront her, the results of which had him standing in the entrance of the lobby, tail swishing irritably from side to side as he glared at the assembled crowd. There wasn't even a place to sit, damn it!

Not all of these people had to be here to see Sango, despite the receptionist's snide comments to the contrary. Though a good two-thirds sat together in a rough group, some too tall or huge for even the cheap plastic seats provided. It looked like most of them were just hanging out with the others, for one voluble bitch screeched she couldn't believe they didn't serve alcohol, and was thinking of taking the party to the nearest bar. The red mountain currently residing on the floor in the corner patted her arm consolingly even as a grizzled demon with a blue mohawk dolefully shook his head over the dilemma.

"But our friend needs us right now, right?" he said in a thick accent Kouga couldn't place.

"Right!" The boy in the baseball cap beside him pumped his fist into the air.

"That's the spirit, bledger!" the demon said, clapping the boy on the shoulder so that he staggered. "Now, go get your old friend Chuu a beer, would ya? As I'm in dire need right now."

"You can't be serious!" the boy protested as the others burst out laughing.

"Ah, he's just ribbing you, Rinku." A golden blond in ridiculous yellow spandex grinned.

"I was?" Chuu blinked, and the imp beside him dropped his head into his palm.

"I can't believe this," Kouga growled under his breath as he stalked inside. He turned a challenging stare on the ice apparition propped against the wall as he passed. The youkai gave him a cool look of appraisal, his light blue eyes at odds with the spiky fall of his aqua-green bangs.

"Kami, can you feel the energy oozing out of this place?" Ginta whispered fearfully to Hakkaku.

"Tell me about it. I can't believe the jyaki in here!" Hakkaku gulped, surreptitiously edging around a giant wolverine who gave him a toothy grin and licked his chops.

"Quit acting like a bunch of tail-lowered, omega dogs!" Kouga snarled under his breath. Honestly, he didn't know why he put up with those two nitwits!

Stalking to the far corner, he took up a cross-armed stance against the wall, the two cowards crouching beside him, damned to wait. At least, by listening to the others, he got caught up on what had been happening while he was passed out…

ooOOOoo

They didn't bother even checking in with the receptionist, since Kurama already knew what room Sango was in. The cyclops scowled but didn't interfere as they crossed the main area connecting both wings of the hospital, since they looked like they knew what they were about. Funny how well that always worked. It was only people who looked confused or uncertain that would often raise questions about their business.

Although still a little tired, Hiei was recovering quickly now that he was back on his feet. Whether or not he was fully recuperated, the fire demon wasn't about to show any sign of weakness. Rather stubborn and proud, was his friend.

More than friend, now. Kurama gave the shorter apparition a soft look, and Hiei only turned his bristly head to snap, "Don't start getting get all mushy on me, fox. I find it annoying."

Kurama hid a smile, and pressed the button to summon the elevator.

"Hn." Hiei smirked, and preceded him into the utilitarian space, where he assumed a cross-armed stance in typical impassive fashion as they rode the short interval up to the third floor. The doors opened with a soft ping, and Kurama exited first.

Open doors led off of the long corridor on either side, and it was near the end that they were looking for. A scruffy red head poked out, and Jin blinked.

"Oh, is it you two, then?"

"Hello, Jin," Kurama greeted, and then mildly explained, "We're here for Sango."

The significance wasn't lost on the wind demon, who often had the same piercing insight as Yusuke at times. "Oh? Are you then?"

"Yes," Hiei growled, hand already clamped to his sword as if daring the former shinobi to interfere.

Holding up his hands, Jin grinned. "Well, it's about time, lads. Go on in, then. There'll be no argument from _me_."

"Good," Hiei snapped, and disappeared inside.

Shaking his head at the apparition's manners, Kurama followed. Sango's room was much like any other, though Lord Tenga had arranged for her to have a bit of privacy in somewhat better quarters. The pricy room included a Monet print on the wall and a private bathroom, as well as two of the padded chairs rather than just one.

It also included round-the-clock care, although it looked like Sango was nearly recovered from the readings on the monitors connected to her arm. Any bruising had already faded, her physical injuries healing as she lay curled on her side, deeply asleep. She looked rather small and pale against the white sheets, her short hair a feathering black tangle across the pillow. Her jyaki levels were still low, and she would spend a little more time hibernating before they returned to normal.

Kurama watched as Hiei slowly reached out to gently brush her cheek with the back of his hand, and his heart tightened at the unusual show of tenderness. The fire demon looked up at him, and he silently nodded in agreement.

Carefully removing the various monitoring devices, Kurama neatly wrapped the dangling cords up as Hiei slipped off his coat and roughly bundled the sleeping taiji-ya into it. Jin watched with a nonchalance Kurama found disconcerting, as the incorrigible wind apparition only met his raised brow with a goofy, knowing grin.

Gathering the taiji-ya up, Kurama straightened. She felt incredibly light in his arms, and he nestled her bent head into the crook of his shoulder. Her warm breaths tickled his throat. He looked at Hiei, and without a word, the fire apparition preceded him out of the room and back down the white hallway.

Jin followed at a distance, arms crossed behind his head and a fat smile on his mobile face. A passing candy-striper tried to protest their abduction once they reached the ground floor, but Hiei only glared.The girl abruptly fled with a petrified squeak. They continued down the sterile corridor, eventually reaching the main area where they were finally stopped by a surprised shout. The cavalcade was unleashed, and even Hiei's snarl was lost in the chaos that surrounded them as a virtual horde swarmed out of the waiting room to surround them in raised question.

"What are you doing there, mates?" Chuu demanded, Rinku's brown eyes wide behind the towering Aussie.

"What does it look like?" Hiei snapped, and the ensuing quiet grew ominous.

"That's what I'd sure like to know." A harsh voice broke through the silent tension, and everyone turned in surprise at the hard-eyed wolf demon who faced them from the doorway.

_*Kouga,* _Kurama identified for Hiei, letting him know that it would hurt Sango's feelings if he were to kill him.

"Hn." Hiei growled, but let go of his hilt.

It was Jin, however, who answered the wolf demon's demand. "Why, ain't it fair obvious? They be claiming their mate, they be!"

_"Mate?" _The wolf demon's gargled bark was lost in the sudden uproar as everyone tried to top one another in giving congratulations and bad advice over Koku's enthusiastic call for champagne to celebrate.

"Well, if she'll have you, than I have no argument," Touya blandly said, though the warning in his blue eyes told Kurama that he would have to proceed cautiously with the slayer. Taking the good advice for what it was, Kurama nodded even as Lord Tenga adroitly slipped up beside him to press a key into his hand.

"I have the honeymoon suite," he murmured with a sly smirk. "Go slow with her, fox. She's human."

Kurama frowned, but the pink eyes only glinted wickedly. With a debonair wave, the youkai disappeared back inside the excited throng, who were only growing more boisterous as the outraged receptionist ineffectually waved her tentacles to try and shush them.

"I hope you know what you're about, younglings," the lizard Suiketsu slyly called out as several of Raizen's former teammates snickered.

"Yeah, that certainly helps," Kuju drawled as his twin sister pinned him with a Look.

Shishi pinned the same Look on his blond friend when Sazuka shouted ingeniously, "It better be beautiful!"

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Kouga bellowed, angry with all the bodies blocking his way. Chuu abruptly threw a companionable arm around his shoulders.

"What's it look like, mate? Why, it's a party!"

"Except there's no booze," Koku whined.

"Too right, sheila. Can't have a proper party without the booze," Chuu agreed.

"Are you drunk?" Kouga glared at him.

"Not yet." Chuu grinned.

"God, you're hopeless." Rinku scowled as Ginta and Hakkaku stared with wide eyes and the others laughed.

Fed up, Hiei growled, "Let's go, fox."

More than ready to, Kurama paused as a single, dark form smoothly sat down on its haunches, effectively blocking their exit.

"What the hell is that?" Hiei growled, incredulous.

"You don't know Skunk? Jeez, shorty, where you been?" Yusuke appeared behind the little, red-eyed demon. He took in the tableau with a raised brow. "Huh. Seems like you two have attracted quite the crowd."

"Urameshi!" Jin called out in pleasure, as Enki waved. "Raizen Junior!"

Yusuke gave both his friends a calculating grin. "You know you owe me one."

"For what?" Hiei snapped, annoyed by the interference or inference, Kurama wasn't sure which.

"For distracting _them_." The detective flipped a thumb in the group's direction.

"Will you two go on?" Jin shook his head. "Makes a lad wonder if you even mean to be doing what you be meaning to do!"

Hiei glared.

Skunk growled ominously.

The burning eyes slowly swung down to the little demon, and then blinked.

"Hiei?" Kurama asked curiously, and Hiei scowled.

"That little bastard just told me in my own head that we better be good to her or he'd gut both of us and dance on our entrails."

The striped tail neatly wrapped around the demon's little front paws.

Yusuke laughed, and pushed them both towards the door. "Go on, you two! Get out of here!"

Taking the good advice for what it was, they went.

ooOOOoo

The honeymoon suite was sumptuous by anyone's standards. And tacky.

Eying the fat cherubs blowing kisses from every corner, Hiei looked askance at Kurama, who only shrugged. He crossed the thickly carpeted room to the giant bed that stood in appalling glory upon the wide dais. Hearts and cherubs figured largely in the design, as did red velvet and gold tassels. He carefully laid the taiji-ya down, and even her slight weight sunk the mattress in a few inches, which then bulged as the wave undulated across the rest of the bed.

A waterbed. He should have known. They'd have to be careful with anything sharp, like claws. Kurama chuckled, and Hiei only looked at him before a glimpse of himself had the shorter demon frown.

"And why are there mirrors on the ceiling?"

Kurama smirked.

"I find your amusement annoying, fox," Hiei said, though his smirk belied the testy statement. "This room is ridiculous."

Yes, it was, but at least there would be room on the wide bed for all three of them. So long as they didn't get seasick. Shaking his head as the bed undulated again as he sat down, Kurama carefully lifted Sango enough to draw the apparition's coat from her. Still dressed in the tattered remains of the clothing she'd fought in, Kurama mused that if there was one problem with Demon World hospitals, it was the lack of hospital gowns. They basically parked your unconscious body in a free bed to let you heal on your own, only interfering if something came up while checking on your progress.

Handing Hiei his coat - which the fire demon negligently dropped over the back of a faux Louis XIV chair in gold lamé - Kurama gently lifted Sango so he could slip the sleeveless white top off of her. Hiei took it upon himself to unbutton the slayer's jeans and drag them over her hips after slipping off her dirty socks. Kurama debated giving her a bath, as the slayer would most likely consider it a violation, especially when she was completely insensate. But the dirt - and dried blood - streaking her skin decided him. Lifting her up in his arms, he told Hiei what he had in mind.

"Hn." The fire demon simply turned on his heel and preceded him to the bathroom - yet another testament to bad taste in marble and gold and baby-cheeked Cupids. The giant tub had enough space for any sized orgy. Kurama wondered ironically why this was called the "honeymoon" suite. Looked like it was made for group getaways.

Hiei eyed the bathroom with that same look of patent disgust before going and setting the water to a temperature he found pleasing.

"Not too hot," Kurama cautioned, in case the fiery demon liked his bath boiling.

"Hn." Hiei only stood back up and quickly stripped his pants and boots off. Kurama blinked, taken aback by the demon's casual disregard for what had been a faint worry in the back of his mind.

"You think too much, fox," came the now-familiar growl, before Hiei stepped into the filling tub and held his arms out for the slayer. Arrested by the sight, Kurama flushed even as he gingerly handed the limp girl over. Hiei gently set her on the wide edge of the marbled rim so that he could remove the rest of her clothing. Her dark head leaned into the crook of his wide shoulder, their short, black hair blending together as the wide, capable hands slid up the curve of the taiji-ya's spine to unhook her bra. There was something so erotic in the simple gesture, and Kurama felt his breath catch as Hiei caught his darkening gaze with his own.

"Here, help me," he said brusquely, lifting the slayer up off the rim so Kurama could slip her black panties free. The water crested as the fire demon finally sat back, the slayer straddling him. Recalling himself, Kurama quickly peeled his clothing off and joined them. He was conscious of Hiei's eyes upon him, and smiled, his confidence returning as he sunk his lean hips below the water, wincing slightly at the temperature.

They were all business, though, as they gently bathed the slayer. Kurama was struck anew at how tiny she was, especially when compared to them. Her fierce independence and competent self-assurance typically hid the fact that she was really quite slender. Although firmly muscled, there was a softness to her skin, which flushed under the heat of the water. By the standards of when she was born, she was of average height for a ningen woman, but comparably short by modern standards. She stood maybe an inch taller than the red-eyed demon who held her, but Hiei's gravity-defying hair made him appear taller when standing side by side.

Kurama could not help comparing them, and the innate beauty and grace of each. They were a study in contrasts. Where Sango appeared soft, Hiei appeared hard. Her creamy skin was pale against the demon's tanned flesh, although his was unblemished by the scars that laced Sango's body. They mapped a hard life of struggle, and were testament to the fierce spirit who resided within. Kurama reverently touched the distinctive scar along her spine, the rough star white against the flushed heat from his gentle ministrations as he washed her back. Even Youko had been struck by that stark reminder of Sango's dark past.

Hiei grunted, and gently pushed the slayer back into the fox's waiting arms so that he could wash the front of her in turn. The view was breathtakingly erotic, as Hiei's calloused fingers slowly swept the washcloth across her shoulders and down between her breasts. There was more weight to them than Kurama had expected, although he had felt - through Youko - them cupped in his palm. Her nipples rose, and he closed his eyes a moment to regain his breath and separate himself from the pure sensuality of the sight.

"This is the scar of her heart transplant," Hiei said quietly, almost to himself. Kurama opened his eyes, studying the way the apparition traced a single, blunt finger down the white scar. A distinctive spider's mark, near purple-black like a bruise, rested over it. It was a strange tattoo, but not ugly. He wondered why Sango often hid it behind high-necked shirts.

The washcloth in Hiei's hand dipped lower, and Kurama watched, face impassive as his body betrayed its arousal as Hiei lifted each leg in turn. Water droplets beaded in the tight curls of her womanhood like reflected diamonds, and Kurama smiled wryly at the mirrors placed on the ceiling. Though he had to admit the view was just as appealing from that angle.

Not that Sango was in any way to appreciate it. The fact that they could take such liberties while the slayer was unconscious and vulnerable - since she so rarely let herself _be_ vulnerable - made Kurama's erection finally subside, and he managed to wash her silky black hair without any embarrassing twitches. It was Hiei who finally lifted the slayer out of the tub to carry her back to the bed, leaving Kurama to pull the plug and bring towels.

Drying her - and themselves - Kurama loosely wrapped the last towel around Sango's wet hair before pulling back the thick blanket and creamy sheets. Hiei slipped the slayer inside the covers, and a rather hilarious moment ensued as they both climbed in after and the unpredictable swells of the waterbed ungraciously tumbled them against her. The release of their laughter eased the tension of the situation, and Kurama settled himself behind the slayer, spooning her, as she instinctively turned into Hiei's warmth. The crimson eyes briefly met his over her tousled head, and the fleeting look in the fire demon's gaze was strangely hesitant. But it was gone so quickly, Kurama dismissed it as an aberration.

Closing his eyes, Kurama thought that it was enough for now, to be here with both of them.

ooOOOoo

She had never felt so warm.

The thought was so strange, Sango opened her eyes in confusion. She was lying against someone, the heat of their skin radiating up like an electric blanket. Her cheek was nestled into their shoulder as another's soft breaths warmed hers in turn, for she was spooned by someone whose arm lay loosely thrown about her waist. It took her a good minute to get over the startling fact - which was just not a situation she had ever expected to find herself. And upon that realization came the abrupt awareness that all three of them were naked as the day they were born.And the tickle of a long red hair along her bare arm and the spiky black swirl in front of her wide eyes brought the embarrassed anger burning up with the furious blush that stained her cheeks.

"Hentai!" she shrieked, and reflexively _pushed_ in both directions, feeding her jyaki into the powerful blast of wind-backed force.

The bed exploded, projecting both perverts out of either side of it with startled yells as Sango yelped, for she was suddenly riding a bucking bronco as the mattress convulsed. The plastic abruptly parted under a tidal wave of icy cold water that sent her cresting along with it, tumbling her head-over-heels off the end of the bed to land in a soppy tangle of blankets and sheets on the floor.

"Damn it!" she cursed, fighting free of the drenched blanket, and then skidding back on her bottom as one heel was caught by the wet rope of a sheet. "Ow!"

_"Ow?" _The snarl in that incredulous demand made Sango push her sodden bangs out of her eyes and glare at the short demon who was climbing to his feet, his red eyes hot.

"Hiei - " Kurama, ever the mediator, tried to calm the fiery-tempered demon, but Sango wasn't having any of it.

"Have you both completely lost your minds?" she cried, dragging the white sheet over her body, though it did little to hide her nudity beneath its wet folds. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"What _we_ were thinking?" Hiei growled, arm sweeping out over the sopping mess left of the bed. Sango's cheeks burned as Kurama suddenly sat back and laughed, his eyes glinting gold now in merriment. Hiei scowled at the fox, hands on his hips, and Sango wanted to die as a sharp knock rapped on the hotel door behind them.

"It's housekeeping - is everything all right in there?"

"No," she was about to say, but a calloused hand suddenly covered her mouth, a strong arm holding her body tight against his in a way that made her freeze as her eyes widened at the feeling of his naked heat around her. She struggled furiously, but Hiei only dragged her into the bathroom as Kurama went and answered the door.

"Damn you!" she snarled, but it came out as muffled nonsense, so she bit his palm. He hissed, but didn't remove his hand and tightened his hold. She tried to crack his instep with a vicious stamp of her heel, but he abruptly turned her world upside down as he flipped her up over his shoulder, turning his body in the process so that their positions were reversed. Pinning her hard against the wall, he growled, meeting her hot eyes with his own.

"Gods, hanyou, you're annoying."

And then his look softened.

It was such a vulnerable, tender look. One she would never have expected to see from _Hiei, _of all people. Sango's breath hitched and she stilled, the red fury replaced by dark brown uncertainty as she searched his eyes with her own. His calloused palm gentled, leaving her mouth to cup her cheek, his thumb trailing the bow of her lips as his smoldering eyes dropped to them.

Shaken, Sango wondered if he meant to kiss her, but that thought finally brought her back to her senses. _Damn_ him for playing her like a fiddle. But she wasn't a fiddle, she was a human damn being, and she couldn't forget what he'd done. What they both had done.

"Don't," she said, pain in her voice as she turned her head away.

He stiffened, and she hated how her heart contracted, hated how she felt bad for rejecting him when so many had already. But he had rejected her before she had ever rejected him, and the raw pain of that - brought charging to the surface when she thought she'd already dealt with it - made her harden her resolve.

But they weren't given a chance to say anything more, for Kurama suddenly opened the door, and stood there looking at them. Hiei silently withdrew, and Sango turned away, hugging herself hard and refusing to look at either of them.

ooOOOoo

Kurama stood there watching them - more _him_, actually - before quietly pulling a white bathrobe from the attached closet and giving it to him with a nod towards Sango. Hiei scowled; he wasn't an idiot. Part of the taiji-ya's indignation was that she was completely naked, and felt vulnerable by it. While Hiei frankly didn't understand that, he accepted that it was, and with a shrug to show the indifference he _didn't_ feel, he took the thick terrycloth.

She stiffened when he brusquely dropped the open robe across her shoulders, but grasped it to her like a shield. He hated how she did that, and with them. Didn't she understand? Wasn't it fairly obvious that they were supposed to be together, that it was _right? _

He wanted to kick her as much as he wanted to kiss her right then. Because, god, she was magnificent. With her short hair mussed and her eyes all dark and guarded in their uncertainty, her slight body swathed in a bathrobe too big for her as she firmly double-knotted the sash around her waist. Suddenly amused by the defiance behind the gesture, Hiei smirked, anger dissipating like smoke.

Deliberately ignoring the robe Kurama extended to him, Hiei folded his arms and leaned against the sink. The fox gave him a wry look, but made no comment as he gracefully belted the same robe about his lean frame. "Heh. The hotel is arranging us a new room, since our bed unexpectedly imploded."

Sango glared. _"I _don't need a new room - "

"Sango," Kurama began, but she cut him off.

"_Don't_, Kurama."

"Don't?" Hiei growled, willing as always to stoke the fire. "You're saying that a lot lately, hanyou."

Her eyes flashed. Good. He could deal with her anger. Reveled in it, actually.

"And what else do you want me to say, Hiei? That I _don't_ appreciate waking up _naked_ in a bed with two men?" She didn't even blush, she was too angry for that as she stalked towards him, eyes bleeding now in her rising fury.

"I guess we should apologize for that," Kurama said, ruefully running a hand through his tousled red hair. "We acted preemptively - "

"Preemptively?" Her voice rose, and the fox winced, his ears more sensitive now that he was fully youkai.

"Watch your volume," Hiei growled, eyes on Kurama.

"Or what, demon? You'll knock me unconscious and take advantage of me?" She rounded on him.

"Don't tempt me, hanyou," he shot back.

"Hiei, Sango," Kurama temporized.

"You can't keep me here!" she cried, her aura suddenly blazing around her in astral fire as her eyes bled. She made a hoarse sound, as if choking on her anger, and the flaring energies suddenly died, as if she forcefully cut them off.

"We can't?" Kurama said softly, gold swirling through the verdant green of his gaze.

She flinched.

_*What are you doing, fox?* _Hiei silently demanded, taken aback by the sudden change in Kurama's tactics.

_*Making her confront her demons,* _was all Kurama said, before he morphed into his silver fox form, gaining a good foot in height and more definition across the shoulders as his golden eyes narrowed and the distinctive white ears swiveled towards the slayer.

"Damn you - " Sango seemed to shrink away. Hiei stared at her, startled by the reaction.

"Fight me, slayer," the fox said softly, his voice roughened by the change.

She inhaled sharply, and Hiei finally understood what truly motivated the fox. Sango, once so inured to the effects of her rejected jyaki, was now afraid to use that rage at all. In a twisted way, she was not embracing her _full_ nature. Oh, she accepted her demon side, perhaps even acknowledged her demonic instincts. But she flinched away from the darker side of her youkai nature, rejecting it just as much as she'd once rejected any overture of friendship, fearing it would interfere with her singular embrace of that very same darkness and the vengeance she had so long sought.

Always so extreme in her tendencies, Sango was now trying to be the polar opposite of what she had been before. Hiei had always admired how she kept both light and dark inside herself, wondering how she managed to keep her inner self pure and untainted by that darkness and bitterness that had seethed through her spirit for so long. But she achieved that separation by willful choice, suppressing one side of her dual nature in favor of the other. While superficially accepting her demonic nature and abilities, she did not embrace it fully, and was now rejecting the darkness that was so much a part of being youkai.

"_No_," she said, the hoarse whisper full of such suppressed pain Hiei's red eyes cut sharply to hers.

"Why?" Kurama taunted softly, slowly stalking her. Hiei's eyes narrowed, but he didn't interfere. At least, not yet. "Are you afraid, taiji-ya? Afraid to let your true emotions out? Afraid your darkest desires will again get the better of you?" He baited her, carefully fanning the flames of her anger with those words most calculated to do so.

She stared at him, her face white and her dark eyes opaque.

"Or are you too _weak_ to stop me?"

"You _bastard!"_ she gritted out between clenched teeth, fists curled so tight at her sides the knuckles stood out in sharp relief. Tension fairly crackled the air around her with suppressed fury as she refused to relinquish her control, even under that typical goad. Her jyaki beat the air around her in dark, seething waves as she silently fought her rising emotions, trying to push them back even as her eyes bled from red to dark and back again, showing the intensity of her internal struggle.

Kurama studied her for a long, silent moment, head tilting slightly to the side as he considered his next move. Hiei tensed, waiting for the axe to fall. When it did, he was startled by the fox's soft declaration.

"We love you."

She cold-cocked him right through the wall.


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been in the throes of packing (ugh) and haven't had much time to write. Hope you enjoy, and yes, cliffies suck. =P_

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Forty-Four**_

Kurama was swept off his feet and sent crashing through the wall by the power of her blow. The raw fury exploded out of her curled fist with such force that a shrieking wind sprang up out of nowhere. Plaster fell in huge chucks as white dust rose, churned by the winds that buffeted the room, centered around the glowing figure of the angry taiji-ya.

Hiei watched impassively as Kurama gingerly got back to his feet, wiping the blood off his lip with a wry look. Even as Hiei watched, the silver hair streaked with red, the fox form dissolving into Kurama's human one just as the winds dissipated in one final, errant breeze. The flaring jyaki around the slayer flickered and died. Sango stood there panting, her chest heaving as the ruby glitter faded from her brown eyes.

Eying the look on her face, Hiei moved before she even turned to flee.

ooOOOoo

_"Damn you," _she sobbed, and whirled, straight into Hiei's arms. She blindly fought him, but as always, he proved too strong. She hated him for the gentle way he held her even as she futilely beat against his chest, his hold slowly tightening until she was enfolded inside his solid warmth. He said nothing, offered nothing but his silent acceptance as she cursed and cried, her tears falling freely now.

How could they? How _dare_ they? After all that had happened between them, after all their coldness and indifference? After each had left her alone, basically abandoning her after sharing something she hadn't with anyone else. She wasn't a wanton - although Youko had certainly made her into one. And where was Kurama after that? Gone, leaving her with a sorry apology and no damn excuse. And Hiei - damn him, he had simply disappeared, with no word and even less excuse. How she hated them for that!

No, that wasn't true. She didn't hate them. She _couldn't_. For she loved them too much, damn them. Though they hardly deserved it, and she was a stupid fool for it. But how else could they have broken her heart so fully, each in their turn and each in their own callous way?

How could she forgive that? For it was still there - all the horrible emotions, all the pain and turmoil and wretched loss she had so neatly pushed aside, deliberately ignoring so she could go on with her life. And here they both were, oh-so-casually pulling her back into that whirlwind of pain and betrayal and bitter darkness.

She had carved out a life for herself, had friends now and a purpose - something she'd always need. And she had found it on her own, _without_ them. And she was happy, damn it! And she could be more than content with that. It was _enough_, damn it!

And yet here they were, stirring up emotions she didn't - _couldn't!_ - want, wrenching her life around to suit their arbitrary whim. For where were they, when _she_ had needed _them?_

And now? She was just supposed to blithely lay all that aside, just because they airily reconsidered? Whimsically decided that they had some claim on her affections? How was she to give her heart back into their keeping? For she couldn't trust them - they had already stamped all over her heart once, she couldn't let them do it again. She wasn't that stupid.

But, gods, they knew how to push every button. Knew just how to get under her skin, tear all her barriers down and stab her right inside the heart. "We love you," he'd said, so simply. As if that was _enough_ -

*_Why isn't it?*_

She stiffened, eyes widening as she stared up into the scarlet demand of Hiei's. The Jagan floated serenely above those too-red eyes, bathed in a shimmering green radiance as he used it to invade her thoughts.

How typical it was of him. Of _them_. Arrogantly assuming she would be okay with whatever they did, accepting their boorish highhandedness as if there was nothing else she could do. She hated that.

Hiei shrugged, unconcerned. Her eyes narrowed and she mentally snarled, _*You don't have the right!*_

He smirked then. "No?"

"No!"

"Says who?"

"Me! Says _me_, Hiei!"

"Are you _challenging_ me, hanyou?" he growled, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Challenging you?" She laughed bitterly, reminded of Lord Tenga's words about demons and their mates. "And what would that be, Hiei? Your version of a marriage proposal?"

"Hn." He finally let her go as she pushed away from him, only to freeze when she saw Kurama regarding her from a casual stance against the wall. He had slipped from his kitsune form, and his green eyes held too much understanding and too much pity.

"Sango…" he began, but her heart-wrenched demand cut him off, all of her pent-up pain tumbling out in one single, stupid question.

_"Why did you leave me alone?"_

"Fear," he said simply.

"Fear." She couldn't believe he could just stand there saying it so calmly, as if she should understand their reasons with that single word. Maybe she did, a little, but it wasn't enough of an excuse.

"What does it matter?" Hiei demanded impatiently. "That was then, this is now."

Sango turned incredulous eyes on him as Kurama warned softly, "Hiei - "

"No, fox," Hiei growled, eyes pinning Sango in place.

"She's a human - "

"She's a _demon_," Hiei emphasized.

"I'm both, you jerk," she snapped back, fed up with his attitude about ningen.

"Are you?" he softly taunted. "Then why do you not embrace the darkness inside yourself? Why do you _fear_ it?"

"I don't fear it," she spat. "I know full well what I'm capable of - "

"And yet you won't use it. Won't give in to it. Won't let it out."

"Let it out? Are you crazy?" Her fists tightened. "Don't you remember, Hiei? In the Forest of Fools? When my rage sent half the forest insane? Maybe _you_ can use your dark hate and bitterness at the world to feed your raging Dragon, but I refuse to hurt others just because - "

"Don't denigrate me by your pithy human definitions, hanyou," he snapped. "Especially when you deny your own."

"Deny - "

"You're a _demon_."

"And a _human_. Or is that reminder too sordid for you?"

He laughed. It was not a true laugh, but bitter and mocking. She wanted to slug him.

"Sango, Hiei is just trying to - " Kurama again tried to step in between them, but she held up her hand to stop him.

"I don't _care_," she cried, fury and tears warring within her, so close, so damn close. She blindly backed away from both of them.

"Why do you keep lying to yourself, hanyou?" Hiei growled, his weight shifting subtly as if he would spring.

_"Shut up," _she cried in anguish, hating them both for the way they continued to push her.

"You deny yourself, hanyou. You deny your true nature." Ignoring Kurama's warning look, the short demon stepped forward.

"I do not deny anything, Hiei. I _define_ myself, who I am and what I'll be - "

"Hn. A pithy excuse to hide the fact you're terrified of the _truth_."

"The truth? And what truth is that? That everything is just sweet and peachy in the land of fools? That saying - what you did - " she glared at Kurama, unable to say it herself, "is enough to wipe away the past? That it's supposed to make everything all right?"

"Yes." Kurama surprisingly intruded, when she thought he, at least, would understand that it couldn't. Simply mouthing the words didn't make it right. Love could _hurt_ you if you let it -

_*Love can also heal you, Sango,* _Kurama suddenly said inside her mind, so softly, so gently, her heart tightened even as the tears gathered. She blinked furiously, not only to keep the tears back but to understand how he could do so. She looked at Hiei, and the Jagan was glowing, as if he were lending the fox aid, but - wait -

"What are you doing?" She choked, staring transfixed as the short demon slowly, determinedly jerked at the sacred sutras bandaging his right arm.

"What do you think?" he growled, tearing the last bandages free. They fell away with a slithering hiss of silk, and the unwrapped Dragon glowed with a ghostly light, purple tints fizzling along its twisting black surface.

"Hiei, you really should learn a new way to express yourself, rather than just through violence," Kurama commented dryly.

"Hn." The apparition let a small smile play about his mouth as he smirked, his red eyes lifting to Sango, who stood frozen, staring at the dark lights flickering over the jagged tattoo along his raised arm. The eyes etched into the back of his wrist glowed with a ghostly fire, already calling to her.

"No," she breathed.

"You fear the Dragon because it calls to the darkness within you, slayer," Hiei said, his palm slowly extending.

"No…"

"That is the truth you deny, Sango," Kurama gently added, his green eyes swirling with golden tints, like the sun breaking through the verdant shadows of the deepest forest. "The darkness within yourself. The darkness that is so completely youkai, and so completely yours."

Her heart sped up, and she could _feel_ the faint spider on her chest burning in answer. Her jyaki rose, burning up inside her very being. It was a tidal wave rising to swallow her up inside of it and never let her be free again of the rage and darkness and bitterness that came along with it. She had been chained by that darkness for so long - how could they demand she surrender herself back into that awful turmoil of pain and sorrow? How could that ever possibly heal her, when she didn't need healing, she just needed -

_Love_.

True love, undying love, forgiving and jealous love. Heady and despairing, held so tight it set you free even as it chained you and claimed you. Tore through every barrier you tried to put up and left you naked and crying, because it left you so completely vulnerable. Tore you to pieces, because it could tear the very heart right out of your chest when you lost those you cared so much about. Father, brother, teacher and unspoken love - so lost, so gone forever and yet still _there_. Held so close, in memories so bittersweet because you knew they were gone forever and yet still there with you, but not _with_ you, not really.

How could she dare that pain again? How could she let it consume her so utterly that it turned to hate so bitter it burned inside her for five hundred years? Five centuries spent seeking a vengeance that had been almost laughable in the end - Naraku killed by a mere flea demon and turned into a fucking _bath-mat _of all things. A mockery of the very fire of vengeance that had burned inside of her, claiming her in a darkness of spirit that had left her cold and alone, always so damn alone.

How, how could love so twisted be in any way right?

Because you let yourself _feel_, and in feeling, freed yourself to be yourself. All emotions, all things, both bitter and jealous and loving and kind. All the terrible, terrible beauty of being wholly, unapologetically and completely accepted for who you were, all bad and good, all petty and pithy and beautiful and giving. Not only accepted by yourself but by those who were so completely touched and healed and torn and chained by it in turn - by _you_, in turn.

For as you could not live without them, they could not live without you, and while there was always that possibility of pain and loss, of terrible heartbreak, you had to give it a _chance_. Just a chance, a small chance, for when you did, and when it was returned, then the very heavens opened up and your soul sang in joy at finding one so worthy. So worthy of you and you so worthy of them, so loved and protected and nurtured and held so tight. Not alone anymore, never alone, because you were _together_.

Together to face the emptiness of a world that could be so cold and indifferent. A world of days passing by, one as like to the last as it was to the next until - until you stopped, arrested and transfixed by the burning light of a feeling so powerful it lifted you up out of the darkness. Then smothered you back inside that darkness as it held you close, so close, devouring your very self into all the burning emotions that came with it. All the spectrum of emotions - light, dark, it didn't matter, for it was what it was and it was _you_, and that was _enough_.

Enough for everything - and everyone.

Sango turned burning eyes on them, the tears spilling unheeded down her cheeks as her heart soared at the burning looks in theirs. Hiei, with the fire at its hottest, Kurama, with the sun in its utter glory - she reached out to both of them, traced the tears on their cheeks in wonder that they would let the emotion that overwhelmed her overwhelm them as well. And then she was enfolded in heat, heat so blazing and pure as their minds touched, one's thoughts blending unto another's and then another's. The fire of their love blazed up into a torch never to be quenched as the jyaki flared around them in astral flames, blazing so high it blanketed the very light of the world around them as they hung, suspended, in that glorious _truth_.

And the heat, the heat was rising over her skin, touching it in feather-soft kisses as strong arms held her on either side, so gently but so fully, supporting and restraining, for she wanted, needed, had to -

Sharp thuds on the door intruded, snapping her out of that overwhelming heat. No, no, wait, what - a muffled curse as Hiei glared, an apologetic grimace as Kurama shrugged, and she was slowly sinking back into awareness of her surroundings.

Hiei held her against him, nuzzling the side of her neck as if he could not help it even as his smoldering red gaze was directed on the door Kurama was answering. The fire demon's right arm snaked around her waist, the dragon stark against his tanned skin as he impatiently growled. Sango shivered, and he absently planted a kiss just behind her ear that had her closing her eyes and inhaling sharply. Hiei smirked, and she wanted to hit him just as much as she wanted to kiss him, the jerk.

"It's the bellhop - our new room is ready," Kurama said, opening the door enough to show a four-armed, hairy brute with a neat uniform and jaunty little cap. A thick unibrow rose, and he cocked his shaggy head in sudden interest. Abruptly reminded of how she stood in the arms of a naked fire youkai, Sango blushed.

Kurama smiled slightly, his eyes darkening as she stared at him. The kitsune slowly crossed the room, deliberately ignoring their audience and forcing her to look up at him as he came closer. The look in his deep green eyes was so achingly tender Sango's breath caught. When his elegant fingers reached out to gently brush a stray hair behind her ear, she shivered for much the same reason she had at the touch of Hiei's lips, which were even now playing lightly with her ear lobe.

"Shall we go?" the kitsune asked softly, a husky quality to his voice. Hiei impatiently growled, and Sango slowly nodded, her heart all but pounding right out of her chest.


	46. Chapter 46

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: Holy Toledos, Batman, it's been a long time. Chalk it up to having moved across the country to start a new life. I won't tell you how long ago I'd written this lemon out, for fear of death by sporking, but finally gotten around to editing it. The chapter will be rather short on fanfictionnet, as all the juice gets squeezed out by their rating system. (Although some people don't like reading lemons, which is fine, too, as not all my stories end up with lemons. Sometimes, it just isn't called for or I'm not in the mood, LOL!) _

_I will add that I have already written the ending to this story, just need to flesh out the chapters, and am starting work on the sequel. DUNH DUNH DUNH! Wasn't expecting that, were you? =P_

_Thanks again for all the supportive reviews - I appreciate each and every one of them. _

WARNING! LEMONS SERVED WITH A BIT OF YAOI LIME ON THE SIDE! (EDITTED OUT ON FFNET)

_**Chapter Forty-Five**_

Kurama's smile was rich with sensual promise as Hiei finally let her go to stalk after his discarded clothing.

"Oh - " Recalled to her own missing wardrobe, Sango distractedly looked around, but Kurama only laughed.

"Don't worry, Pierre will retrieve our things and take them to the laundry." The kitsune's amused expression told her they wouldn't need them for a while. Sango blushed, feeling awkward. Kurama always seemed so self-assured, even when hiding his uncertainty behind a bland façade.She wondered if she could ever learn to do that without making it into an effort.

Kurama smoothly took her hand, his palm dry against her sweaty one. Sango didn't know why she was suddenly so nervous, just that that brute of a bellhop was watching them with open lasciviousness. The mood had been pretty much destroyed by his untimely arrival, and she scowled. Kurama chuckled, as if reading her thoughts. He might have, for all she knew. Except she didn't feel that profound _oneness_ that she'd shared with both demons earlier, and the Jagan wasn't glowing, like when active.

Jerking on a pair of black pants, Hiei bundled his sword and cloak under one arm. They left the rest for Pierre to collect after he escorted them to their new suite. He led a strange parade down the hall, Hiei stalking a few steps ahead to play fore-guard as Kurama held Sango's hand, his thumb lightly smoothing circles across her palm. They walked a fair distance, and the mood was killed entirely for Sango as they passed several demons, who ogled them with knowing smirks. Two humans in matching bathrobes and a shirtless Hiei was certainly worthy enough of comment, but did they have to be so damn _blatant_about it?

She was grateful when they finally reached the room, but rather taken aback by the décor. While rather tame when compared to the tackiness of the other suite, this one was decorated in some demon's fancy of a sultan's retreat. Lavish pillows and low tables figured prominently in the hedonistic vision, as did draping silk and too many carpets and tassels in garish colors. The sitting area was separated from the bedroom by a distinctively Middle Eastern archway, and the giant, circular bed was buried under a virtual mountain of pillows.

"Here you go, the Harem Suite," Pierre grandly introduced, if a tad late.

"Hn." Hiei sauntered past him, and Sango avoided the bellhop's toothy leer as Kurama gently nudged her to precede him. She didn't know what the fox murmured to the bellhop, but the demon abruptly straightened, his eyes bugling in fright as he audibly swallowed.

"Um, yes, sir! Right away, sir!" Saluting smartly, the demon handed over the keycard and fled.

Kurama closed the door and only shruggedat Sango's curious look. "I hope you don't mind, but I ordered us some wine and a light meal. I'm sure you're hungry."

She was, actually, but it didn't really seem as important as - well, as what they all intended on doing. She blushed, avoiding looking at the giant bed as Hiei absently kicked a pillow out of his way to the bathroom.

"Sango." Kurama drew her attention up as he gently took her hand and raised it to his lips. "There's really no rush. We can take our time." His green eyes darkened as he turned her palm up to kiss the base of her wrist. His lips were warm, his kiss as light as a butterfly's touch. Her heart raced, and she could not tear her eyes from his, which held so much promise, and something so sensually primal.

She jumped as a sharp rap on the door once again intruded, and blinked in confusion as Kurama murmured wryly, "Excellent timing, as always," before going to get it.

Hiei came out of the bathroom to cross his arms over his bare chest and glare as Pierre hurried in, all cringing and flustered now as he directed two smaller gargoyles in frilly white aprons to set down covered trays and a chilled bottle in an icy urn. Bowing and scraping, the bellhop hustled the gargoyles back out, saying he hoped it was all to me'lord's satisfaction. Kurama curtly closed the door in his face. Surprised, Sango stared at the fox, but he only murmured, "Timing."

Hiei smirked and stalked over to one of the trays. Removing the metal dome, he stared critically, and shrugged. Picking up a shell, he slurped up the gooey contents with typical bad grace.

"How is it?" Kurama asked as he expertly opened the wine.

"Salty." Hiei took another, and handed a third to Sango, who awkwardly sunk down on a pile of pillows beside the low table.

"Thank you," she said, brow furrowing as she stared at the offering. "Oysters?"

Kurama only smiled. It was such a disarming, boy-caught-in-the cookie-jar smile Sango couldn't help but laugh. Nervousness dissipating, Sango nibbled at the salty treat. While not averse to oysters, they weren't her favorite. And really, she didn't see how they could be considered an aphrodisiac. They were just so squishy!

Hiei certainly didn't seem to mind, for he made quick work of the tray. Besides oysters, there were other delicacies, like shrimp and seaweed rolls, as well as a selection of honeyed fruit and sweetened apricots. The spicy ika yakiniku had her reaching for the wine glass Kurama brought her, and probably not giving the crisp white the respect it deserved as she gulped the contents.

Kurama chuckled, and only tipped the bottle over her empty glass as she blinked, feeling slightly light-headed. "Easy. That squid is spicy - Hiei, you should like it. Here, Sango, try this instead."

He held out an apricot, and when she would have taken it from his fingers with her own, he shook his head, indicating she should just open her mouth. Knitting her brow, Sango let him feed her. The fruit was sweet, and she absently licked the lingering taste from her lips.

Hiei stared at her, barbecued squid held half-way to his mouth.

"What's wrong?" she asked, unnerved.

Kurama hid a faint smile, adroitly picking up a crusted shrimp and holding it out to Hiei. "Why don't you try the crusted shrimp, Hiei? It has a distinct flavor."

Hiei looked at him, and then abruptly leaned forward to suck the succulent shrimp off of the fox's fingers, the red eyes boring into the fox's verdant green. Sango's breath caught - there was something so erotic about the simple gesture. She suddenly felt flustered as a wave of heat spread throughout her body.

Hiei slowly smirked, his red eyes flickering back to her. This time it was his turn to offer the spicy ika he still held in his right hand. Mouth on fire, Sango blindly reached for her wineglass, but Kurama gently drew her chin up to his as he leaned over and kissed her, dribbling wine through the warm press of his lips. Caught off-guard, Sango's eyes widened, but she slowly closed them as the fox deepened the kiss, his cool tongue laving the fire from hers and transferring heat of another kind by doing so.

The fox shifted subtly, drawing Sango closer and yet tilting her back a bit as he took his time devouring her mouth. There was a certain sensual skill to Kurama's kiss, one he deliberately used to wreak havoc upon her senses as his lips softened over hers. His tongue delved deep inside before he sucked lightly on hers, inviting her to explore his mouth in turn. She made a small noise, yearning, and he broke the kiss to nibble on the bottom of her lip, his eyes cutting over to Hiei. The fire demon did not wait for a second invitation, but cupped her chin in his calloused palm, claiming her mouth as well.

Hiei was heat and fire and raw desire. His kiss was primal, hot and demanding. Sango felt the fire ignite inside her belly, fanning a deeper ache between her legs as Hiei abruptly dragged her to him. His bare arms snaked around her waist as he hauled her across the pillows and onto his lap, her legs draping on either side of his. Her surprised protest was muffled as his hot tongue swept inside to tangle with hers. Sango moaned, the desire burning hotter along her skin than she ever thought possible.

A smooth hand glided up her leg, rucking the bathrobe up over her bent knee as playful fingers lightly cupped it before making lazy patterns up her thigh. Her gasp was lost against Hiei's mouth, and they shifted again, fluid as water, as Kurama's hand left its teasing path to slide around her waist and pull at the double-knot of her sash. Hiei's arms slid up her back and around her shoulders to cup her chin in his calloused palms as they exchanged heated breaths and short gasps for air.

Sango felt Kurama press his lips against the back of her neck, his tongue lightly laving the spot. She abruptly broke Hiei's kiss, crying out as lightning shot straight to her groin. Kurama's husky chuckle sent cool air against that heady spot and she inhaled sharply, staring blindly up at the ceiling as Hiei's hot mouth wandered down the column of her throat. Kurama lightly teased a path down the other side, the brush of his red hair tickling her skin as his hands curled over her shoulders to slowly draw the bathrobe down. He softly kissed her shoulder, urging her arms back as he slid the rough fabric free…

…Sango drew the kitsune's mouth up so she could kiss him again, needing to share the incredible feelings they evoked inside her on them in turn.

Kurama laughed, as if he knew, but only whispered, "No. Let us…"

And then he was lifting her off of Hiei, who growled in sharp protest as her heat left his. Sango shivered at the smoldering fire in the fire demon's bloody gaze. He must have read some intent in Kurama's, though, for he reluctantly let the fox sweep her up into his arms. Carrying her off like some prize, the fox was tumbling her back against the bed within three strides. Pillows fell over each other as Sango sprawled amidst them, bemusedly staring up at the two demons now staring down at her.

Kami, they were beautiful. Kurama, with his fiery hair tousled and so stark against the white terrycloth robe he still wore, Hiei with the studied power in his muscular frame and the hunger in his crimson eyes. Sango flushed, and struggled to get up on her knees to pull them down with her, needing both of them so badly…

…The intensity of the moment was overwhelming, even if she hadn't shared that final plunge. Utterly exhausted, Sango could only lay there. She didn't want to move - didn't even want to think about moving. Moving meant disrupting the beauty of this moment, when they each listened to the others' thudding heartbeats slow as their ragged breathing eventually calmed. There was no words to say, none that were worthy enough, anyhow, and so she stayed silent, feeling drowsily content.

Hiei, lying heavily atop her, finally gathered himself up. Sango keenly felt the absence of his heat until he crawled up over her, somehow pulling her with him in a long sprawl as Kurama fluidly slid down, so that they lay three twined as one in a tangle of lazy, sweaty limbs. She felt lips brush hers - couldn't say if it was Hiei or Kurama - and felt them then lean across her as she sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. Felt the tickling brush of Kurama's long hair across her breasts as he shifted slightly, felt Hiei's hard palm slide up her arm to grab the kitsune's jaw and abruptly lean over to kiss him. Her eyes opened in sleepy surprise, but not unknowing, as the two men shared a lingering kiss, mouths more tentative and exploring on one another's than they had on hers. Sango felt their thoughts seeping along the back of her mind in a curious mixture of uncertainty, each wondering if the kiss was really welcome to the other, and wondered why they would even worry about it. It didn't matter, really, when they were all there, in it, together.

Just as they, all three, were supposed to be.


	47. Chapter 47

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: I have Guyute24 to thank for two black eyes. And Craza2k for pointing out that you should never eat spicy food before going "downtown." Not good. Definitely not good._

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Chapter Forty-Six**_

His head felt like a moose had stepped on it. "Ugh."

Swallowing, he made a face. His mouth felt like that same moose had deposited a number of droppings inside of it. "Ergh."

His stomach lurched, and he barely made it to the trash can, where he retched up about seventeen straight shots of tequila. Or was it the mudslides? Or could it be the champagne? Hell, he couldn't remember much after the sixth Guinness…

He shouldn't have taken each of those damn demons on, goaded into the challenge by Hakkaku and Ginta, who had been singing-drunk on top of the bar by the eighth round. That had been the round of fruity concoctions with the perky little umbrellas. He might still have one - he'd saved it for Ayame, who liked cutsie crap like that. But the memory of that fruity beverage had his stomach roiling again, and he ended up back at the trash-can, retching his guts out in a sound that couldn't be described. Nor the bad words he used to emphasize his pure disgust over a situation he hadn't found himself in in more than two hundred years - give or take a few decades.

Exhausted, Kouga fell back against the side of the bed, and winced at the bright light coming through the cracks in the drawn curtains. Gah, that was almost as bad as the gag-awful smell coming from the trash-can, or the dueling snores from the two wolf-brothers draped over either end of the small sofa in their shared suite. Those two lack-wits even snored in bad counterpoint!

Rubbing his face, Kouga stumbled his way to the bathroom, where a good piss and a rough scrub made him feel somewhat better. Better enough that he felt ready to take on Mutt-face, which he intended to do today. Eying the two ookami still blissfully snoozing across the couch, Kouga shrugged and literally shut the door on that concern. Hakkaku and Ginta should have woken their stupid asses up if they'd wanted to come with him. He had two things in mind: finding food, and then finding Kagome.

Finding food wasn't hard, they had a convenient Scarbucks in the lobby of this hotel. And lo and behold, there was some of the guys from last night, looking just as disgruntled as he felt. Ha. Served them right, the bastards!

The only one who looked even remotely half-awake was that crazy Irishman, Jin, and even _he_ had dark shadows under his reddened eyes and was rather green about the gills. But it could be the perky, blue-haired girl who sat across from him, enthusiastically chirping away with her hands clasped in front of her as she leaned across the table. She wore a strange pair of white sunglasses with a stylized spiral etched into each lens. That swirly-eyed decoration made Kouga's stomach twist uneasily, so he turned his eyes away to the sullen boy who stood behind the counter.

"Coffee, black, and meat."

"No meat." The boy yawned.

"No meat?" Kouga stared at him.

The boy shrugged.

Kouga glared.

"We got pastries," the boy offered.

Kouga's eyebrow twitched.

"You want one or not?"

Disgusted, Kouga finally took his steaming coffee and very-berry sugared muffin and stalked to the nearest empty table, which happened to be beside Jin's. Miss Perky with the bouncy blue ponytail and annoying Mary Poppins accent was scolding the hapless wind demon for looking like something the cat dragged in.

Desperate for any relief from her thorough coal-raking, Jin's blue eyes lit on Kouga. "Morning, lad!" he said, far too happily.

Kouga scowled over his cup of coffee as he sucked it down too quickly. Ow, hot! But already the caffeine was clearing up the remaining cobwebs inside his head.

"Mmhmmm," he tried for a noncommittal sound, hoping they'd leave him alone, but Miss Perky was nothing if not inquisitive. Where the hell had she dug up that ridiculous pink cape?

"Why, hello," she said, eyes rounding on him. Kami, even her eyes were pink. Like cotton-candy. The thought made his stomach churn, and Kouga hastily bit into his muffin. "Are you a friend of Jin's?"

Not at the moment he wasn't, especially since Miss Perky perked up even more at the notion. Barely knew the guy, anyway. Though the crazy bastard sure could drink. But even he couldn't stand up to that giant Aussie with the blue Mohawk, or the crazy wench in the maroon leotard. Only that red giant, Enki, could keep up with _her_. Gods knew the demon had the capacity for it, built like a giant barrel as he was…

"Sure he be, lass! Why, I'm that surprised you don't be knowing me old friend, Kouga. Well, I can rectify that now, can't I just? Kouga, lad, this be Botan, and Botan, this be Kouga. Now, why don't you just set your pretty self down there and get nice to know each other, eh? For I've got me something I should be going and doing - "

"Why, Jin, nonsense!" Botan cheerfully interrupted the youkai's hoped-for exit. "You can't let your old friend eat his breakfast alone! Why, that would be _rude_."

She neatly propelled the resigned wind demon into an empty chair across from Kouga, plopping herself down alongside to prohibit any retreat. Jin sighed morosely, and Kouga grinned. He suddenly liked this Botan; she had a certain skill when it came to manhandling demons. She wasn't a demon herself - her energy felt weird. Sorta like Kagome's, actually.

"Are you a miko?" he blurted, surprised by the thought.

"Me?" Botan blinked. "Spirits, no!" Then she frowned, a worried line forming between her brows. "Oh, darn. I think I left that shield-thingy back in my room. Koenma is just going to kill me. It's supposed to mask our spiritual energy, make us blend in better with the _you_ _know_."

Kouga stared at her in baffled incomprehension.

"You know. _Demons_," she exaggeratedly whispered behind her hand, eyes flicking from side to side as if it were a Big Secret.

Kouga stared at Jin, who was going red in the face trying to hold back his laughter.

"We're not supposed to be here," Botan explained. "We're in disguise. But we had to come, for Yusuke. We couldn't leave him hanging like that, now could we?"

Yusuke? Oh, yeah, the loudmouth from last night who'd dared Koku to a game of quarters and stubbornly refused to give up, even after she won ten rounds in a row. It was only Enki's interference that stopped the game from going on all night.

"Right ye are, lass." Jin grinned at her, and chugged his coffee. "Can't leave your friends hanging."

Speaking of which, Kouga now had the perfect opportunity to break away from this crazy duo and head out to Kagome's. He wasn't looking forward to putting one of those jyaki-eating leeches on his chest to get through the kakai barrier. Those things were just plain itchy-nasty, even if they helped him cross the barrier by decreasing the strength of his jyaki to miserable D-class.

But Jin was already leaning companionably back in his chair - entirely too comfortable now that he had a fellow demon to suffer along with him - and was babbling in that thick brogue, "Now, Botan, here, isn't what you be calling a miko, Kouga, but be one of them ferry girls - "

Kouga's eyes widened, and he suddenly became _very_ interested in the blue-haired girl, who blinked at his intent expression. "You're a ferry girl?"

"Um…" She stirred uncomfortably.

"One who can cross the barrier from Makai to Ningenkai?"

"Er…"

Jin cocked an eyebrow, and Kouga suddenly grinned. This morning was definitely looking up! Why, he wouldn't need one of those nasty little leeches after all! He'd just have to turn on a bit of the ol' wolfly charm - maybe persuade Jin, since it seemed he was such good friends with Sango - and the problem of transport would be neatly solved.

And surprisingly, it _was_ easy, once he made known what he intended, and who he was going to visit. It seemed Botan somehow knew Kagome, who she called a "detective-in-training," whatever the hell _that_ meant. Even more surprising, so did Jin. He'd trained with some creepy old witch, who was also training Kagome, and well, when Kouga made known his intentions involving Sango, why then it was all a done deal.

Well, for the most part. For Botan insisted that she disguise them both in some ridiculous human clothing she insisted _wasn't_ ridiculous, even if Kouga knew this pin-striped sissy suit was just the end. At least he didn't have to suffer a trench coat and slouchy brown fedora that reeked of ogre, as Jin had to, since he was taller and it was the only thing that would hide the distinctive white horn on his head. In Kouga's opinion, the redbandanna spelling "Jr." he had to use to hide his pointy ears was bad enough. Botan worried more that her boss would be mad when he finally woke up, since they were using his and Jorge's costumes.

Perhaps he should've been impressed that he was wearing the Prince of Spirit World's clothes, but Kouga could only think the boy had horrible taste, even for a spoiled brat of a demi-god. He could just imagine Inuyasha's reaction when the mutt saw him in this get-up, and sighed for the things he had to go through for his love - cough, former love - Kagome.

But she had to know, and with Botan going along, they could bring her back to Demon World so she could see for herself…

ooOOOoo

Sango took her time waking up. Nestled by warmth, she buried her head into Hiei's chest, unwilling to surrender yet the dreamy, contented feeling of being so thoroughly surrounded by those she loved. It felt almost too good to be true, and she didn't want to wake up to that sweet dream being shattered.

_'Fool.' _The bite in the sharp thought was so typical of the fire demon, though not the surprising tenderness with which he said it.

"Hiei," she murmured, opening her eyes to smile up at him, pure delight suffusing her that it had been real, that it was _still_ real.

"Who else would it be?" Hiei scoffed, and Kurama chuckled, his breath feathering across Sango's cheek. The weight of his chin settled on her shoulder as he tightened his arms around her in a hug of greeting.

"Good morning," he said, his voice so gentle it made Sango ache. The Jagan briefly flared as Hiei caught her reaction, and for a single moment, they were all swept up together in that perfect _oneness_ they had shared before. One mind touched across another's, and then another's, renewing that heady sense of completeness and unity, before falling lightly away. But that departure did not leave her empty, as Sango thought it might, but more reassured of her new reality - that they were both hers as much as she was theirs.

But Kurama, ever sedulous, was already slipping free of the bed. Aware of the appreciative eyes on him, the fox languidly stretched.He really was a beautiful man, Sango thought, more lean and graceful than Hiei's compact strength. His pale skin was unblemished by the scars that decorated hers, and his long torso ended in lean hips and a flat ass. No bubble-butt for Kurama, that was for sure!

Hiei, amused by the fox's deliberate display, suddenly laughed, having caught the taijiya's idle reflection. Sango blushed, still unused to the easy way the apparition could read her distracted thoughts, and jerked in surprise as a hard palm slid over her own ample rear to give it a good squeeze.

"Hiei!" she shrieked, and his laughter made her punch him in the stomach. Which didn't even faze the demon, who was acting uncommonly childlike, as if something had finally been released within him. He playfully pounced when she would have rolled off the bed in a huff, and his fingers relentlessly tickled down her bare stomach, making the muscles tighten as she struggled in a fit of helpless laughter. His demonic grin only made Sango redouble her efforts to win free, and they fell in a tangle of rolling bodies as pillows slipped over one another in their antics.

Kurama, the ever dignified, could only stare at them in surprise as they finally separated, utterly spent with laughter. Hiei's breaths came hoarse, and Sango's breasts heaved in helpless giggles. A wild urge suddenly hit her, and she debated the idea, her natural reserve still warring with the evil grin that twisted across her lips. Evil won, and she grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it with all her might.

The fox stiffened as the soft missile bounced harmlessly off his shoulder. He slowly turned as Sango snickered, infected by Hiei's strange mood. Her brown eyes widened at the sudden flare of gold in Kurama's, and she froze as Kurama deliberately advanced on the bed.

"Hn." Hiei grinned, baring his sharp canines as his red eyes glittered for what lay in store for the slayer.

He never knew what hit him. Taking advantage of his distraction, Sango walloped the fire demon in the back of his bristly head with a large, overly-embroidered square. He blinked even as Sango squealed, sliding out of Kurama's reach to start hurling pillows in every direction, trying to stave off reprisal. Kurama caught the first two, and managed to squarely peg both of them, his cool façade disappearing as laughter lightened his golden eyes into sunlight.

The fight was on as the three antagonists squared off, each ruthlessly using whatever missiles came to hand. Hiei, not as apt as the other two in the game, finally attacked with his own body. Using his hands to twist Sango into a pretzel, he unmercifully tickled her into submission even as Kurama ineffectively pounded him with a pillow that burst into feathers around them. Caught off-guard, all three fell into helpless surrender as the joyous laughter bubbled out of them. They slumped into a pile of tangled exhaustion as their carefree emotions finally drained away into a contentment as sweet as it was reassuring.

And when desire finally stirred, there was an aching tenderness to it that left Sango feeling even more humbled and buoyed by what she had been denying for so very long. There was still some hesitancy, especially between Hiei and Kurama, who were uncertain what might be welcomed yet by the other. Even Sango felt skittish with the overwhelming newness of it all, and her body's ready response to both demons left her shy and sometimes awkward. It was all still so new and precious - she didn't want to question, only _feel_. That in itself was enough right now.

ooOOOoo

"Where the hell have you been?"

The pretty, black-haired girl rounded on the angry demon with a glint in her eye. "What do you mean, where the hell have I been?"

"Uh-oh." The boy beside Shizuru Kuwabara shook his head. "He's in for it now."

"Got that right, kid," Shizuru agreed. Flicking ash off the end of her cigarette, she sat back to enjoy the show. There was nothing more entertaining than seeing that Mutt getting sat by his girlfriend.

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Higurashi looked concerned, though Shizuru wasn't sure if it was for her daughter, her perspective son-in-law, or the geraniums that were about to receive a nice, hanyou-sized hole in them courtesy of Kagome's ire.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha!" Shizuru's idiot brother, of course, could be counted on to miss the whole point of the argument. "With the great Kazuma Kuwabara by her side, Kagome had nothing to fear! I take it as my personal honor to escort Kagome wherever she needs to go."

Ignoring the miko's staunch defender, Inuyasha growled, "You're late!"

"Not that late." Kagome put her hands on her hips.

_'One,' _Shizuru mentally counted.

"Feh! Late enough!" Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared down at his mate.

"Twenty minutes is not late!"

_'Two.' _The end of her cigarette flared as Shizuru idly inhaled.

"Uh, Inuyasha, I think you should - " Kuwabara, finally aware of the danger his friend was in, tried to stave off the inevitable.

Inuyasha wasn't having any of it. "It is, too!"

"It. Is. Not!"

"Is t - "

_'Three.' _Shizuru exhaled the fragrant cloud of smoke with a faint smile.

"Sit, boy!"

"Stupid, Inuyasha." Souta shook his head.

"Yep," Shizuru agreed, putting out her cigarette.

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Higurashi was now looking at her ruined geraniums.

"He kind of asked for that one," Kuwabara muttered under his breath, and then stiffened. Feeling it as well, Shizuru stood up, her brown eyes wary as she raised a hand to shield them against the sun.

"Wha…?" Kagome was certainly no slouch. She'd already felt the disturbance that had the two psychic siblings staring hard at the three odd figures emerging from the top of the steps leading up to the shrine.

"Why do I smell _wolf?" _Inuyasha snarled from his prone position, dragging himself up with remarkable alacrity, considering the size of that hole.

"Kagome!" A sudden rush of wind whipped Shizuru's long hair in front of her eyes. By the time she'd dragged it back, she found some creepy guy in a pin-suit and black pony-tail hugging the miko like he never meant to let go.

"Kouga!" Inuyasha howled, his giant sword already out and flaring to life in his hands.

"Yo, Mutt-face." The man - no, wait, that wasn't a man. By his aura, that was a demon. Shizuru raised a brow, for her brother didn't seem too fazed. In fact, he was peering at the other guy in a slouchy hat and perv's trench coat - the kind of perv who couldn't wait to jump out from behind some bushes and flash you. But the bouncy blue pony-tail on the chick in pink explained a lot. Shaking her head, Shizuru turned to reassure Mrs. Higurashi, who had gotten rather used to oddballs showing up at the shrine, as Kuwabara greeted the ferry-girl enthusiastically.

"Botan!" The big ape gave her a huge hug, immediately demanding, "How's Yusuke?" If Kuwabara wasn't so in love with his little demon girlfriend, Yukina, one might question why the big buffoon was so obsessed with his best friend, ex-teammate and former rival as Head Dumb Ass Punk at Sarayashiki Junior High.

"Oh, hello, Kuwabara! You're certainly looking fit," the spirit guide cheerfully greeted and Kuwabara blushed. Idiot.

"Well, I have been working out…"

"And isn't that Shizuru?" Botan lifted her swirly sunglasses and waved in the direction of the porch. Smiling faintly, Shizuru flipped two fingers back even as Kuwabara's excited shout drew everyone's attention.

"Wait a minute - I know that aura. Jin?" Kuwabara's black eyes widened, and the flasher tilted his slouchy hat back to wink at him.

"Oh, aye, it is at that, lad! And it be good to see - "

"I haven't seen you since the Dark Tournament!" Kuwavara excitedly interrupted, and Shizuru finally placed the youkai. He was that mouthy wind demon Yusuke had defeated in Team Whatever-It-Was during the Dark Tournament. He was Irish, or something. She shrugged, not really remembering too much about him, having been a little distracted at the time. She smiled sourly. Sakyo was still a sore point for her.

"Wow, you've grown stronger!" Kuwabara gaped.

"So have you, m'boyo!" Jin mock-punched him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, as to that - " Botan began, but was interrupted by a distinct howl.

"Kagome!"

"I said stop it, Inuyasha! I can't believe you two!" The miko radiated fury in a blazing aura full of the white fire of righteous wrath. She glared at the two youkai, who were still bristling at each other like junkyard dogs. They both froze, their eyes rounding on the startling brilliance of the girl's spiritual energy.

Shizuru smirked. Served the idiots right. Kagome's potential, already incredible, had grown enormously under Genkai's tutelage. The young miko would make a good replacement for Yusuke, now that he was trapped in Demon World.

That certainly gave some relief to Shizuru, who had worried that her buffoon of a brother would be caught helpless against something stronger he couldn't resist taking on. The new team proposed by Koenma - once he'd returned to his daddy's good graces - wasn't a bad one, and eased the worry she'd had for Kuwabara's welfare. Kagome had the sense both headstrong boys didn't.

So did Botan, who knew exactly how to handle testosterone-filled meatheads, having dealt with Urameshi's team for so long. Putting on her best teacher's voice, the ferry girl propped her hands on her hips and fixed them both with a gimlet eye. "Will you two leave off? Seriously! Are you grown men or little boys?"

The two males looked chagrinned, especially the older one. His redbandana had slipped down around his throat, revealing the distinctive pointy ears of a youkai, and he looked sour as he crossed his arms. "I didn't come here to fight you, puppy - "

"Puppy!" Inuyasha howled, his hands tightening around his giant sword. Kagome put a placating hand on his shoulder, and he scowled.

" - -but to tell you something. Something important."

"Important?" Kagome turned worried eyes on the wolf as Inuyasha finally calmed down enough that his raised Tetsusaiga dipped slightly.

"About Sango."

"Sango?" Something in the miko's voice caused the dog demon to throw an arm around her narrow shoulders and haul her up against him.

"She's alive."

"Alive?" Kagome looked slapped, and clutched at her mate as Inuyasha's brilliant eyes narrowed.

"Start talking, wolf."

ooOOOoo

It was late in the afternoon before they finally managed to untangle themselves long enough to dress. Conscious of her breasts swinging freely beneath her white tank top - her bra having mysteriously disappeared after their laundry was returned - Sango gratefully took Hiei's heavy coat when he brusquely dropped it across her shoulders. She wasn't as grateful when both demons insisted they accompany her back to her hotel room so she could pick up the rest of her things and make sure Skunk was okay.

Their first real fight almost broke out as Sango took their insistence as a slight to her own competence, and they took her stubborn independence as a thwart to their own pride. Especially Hiei, who had assumed a touching jealousy that was going to drive Sango nuts if he kept insisting she not stray from his sight. Chagrinned, Sango realized that while the three of them might occasionally share that startling unity of feeling, that _oneness _of spirit,they were each still rather stubbornly set in their ways. There were things that they would have to learn to compromise on. Settling those differences, and the inevitably hurt feelings that would arise from them, might prove…challenging.

The insight was profoundly humbling, as was the sour pill she had to swallow upon realizing _she_ would have to be the first to concede. The argument was minor, when all was said and done. She should give Hiei and Kurama more credit. They knew full well that she could take care of herself, but this…situation…was as new to them as it was to her, and they were all trying to deal with the startling new emotions that came along with it.

She had more than herself to think of now. Swallowing her pride, Sango finally gave in. The tacit relief on Kurama's face made her feel stupid for having insisted she go alone, and she realized there was more to it than she knew. The fox had understood her dilemma, but still his youkai instincts of protecting his new mate had warred with his need to let her keep her independence. Expression softening, Sango raised a palm to his cheek and kissed him lightly for it.

The fox gave her a startled look, and she only smiled. Turning to Hiei, her smile turned wry as she watched the way he stood, back stiff and ego stung. As prickly as the fire demon's pride was, Sango had the feeling she was going to be doing a lot of compromising in the near future.

Well, maybe on the small stuff. Some things she couldn't, _wouldn't_, be able to, and they would just have to get used to that. But for now, she was willing to offer an olive branch by going and touching Hiei's shoulder. The muscles tensed, but he still wouldn't look at her. She hadn't realized how deeply she'd hurt him by her stubborn insistence, and felt sorry for it.

But she had always been bad with words, so simply offered her apology by slipping her hand inside of his. Hiei stiffened, but then the studied tension across his bare shoulders dropped minutely, and he finally gave in by lightly squeezing her fingers.

His hold abruptly tightened, and he yanked her off-balance, so that she fell against his bare chest. His mouth claimed hers, savage and demanding, before he finally broke apart to stare hard into her eyes. Sango's breath caught at the intensity of emotion within the blazing depths.

"You're _mine_, hanyou," he growled, low and hard.

Sango blinked up at him in confusion. "Of course," she said, bewildered by the fire apparition's sudden need for affirmation.

It was Hiei's turn for bewilderment, and Sango, suddenly understanding what drove the natural jealousy of a man who had always been defined by the absence of _any_ kind of love, softened. She reached up to trace the contours of his face, running her calloused fingertips across the hard definition of his stubborn jaw.

"I love you, Hiei," she said softly, letting the feeling show through in her eyes, and he crushed her to him in a fierce hug. She squirmed against the rib-crushing press of it, and Hiei loosened his grip so that she could look over at Kurama, who stood silently to one side. She wiggled free a hand, and held it out to him. Hiei looked over at the kitsune, eyes inscrutable.

"Well, fox? What are you waiting for?"

"Heh." Kurama shook his head at his own reticence, and let them draw him inside their temporary forgiveness.

Yeah, Sango wryly thought, they might love one another, but factoring in three such strong personalities as theirs might just lead to tripling the inevitable problems. They all had lots to learn about each other, but that same love would help them with it.

And damn, but it felt _good_ to be thinking of more than just herself, her own needs and desires. She smiled against Kurama's chest, her eyes catching Hiei's, and they turned as one for the door.

ooOOOoo

Shizuru knew when it was time to go, and that was when the talk turned to how Botan could transport Kagome and the Mutt back to Demon World. While she felt sorry for that Sango-chick, and agreed they needed to go, she just knew her idiot brother would want in on that action. She wasn't about to let him go back to Makai. She'd already put up with that once, thank you. Not again.

Hearing the kind-hearted Mrs. Higurashi worrying how she was going to feed everyone just cinched it.

Walking over to where Kuwabara stood beside Jin, she said, "Come on, baby bro, it's time to go."

"Huh?"

Shizuru sighed. He was sweet, but boy, was he dense.

"You have homework and I got work early in the morning."

Kuwabara frowned. "But - "

Shizuru's brown eyes narrowed. "Come along before I kick your ass, Kazuma."

"Aw, sis!"

"Now, lass, that's not yet nice."

Incredibly, the idiot youkai put a gentle hand on her shoulder, as if trying to stop her. Shizuru slowly raised her eyes to his. He towered a good head above her, and she was no slouch, standing five-eleven in her socks. Handsome enough, if you liked the rugged, boyish type, with bright red hair and brighter blue eyes. His expression spoiled it, though, with a certain patronizing humor, as if he were good-naturedly indulging her.

Shizuru raised a mild brow, and Kuwabara, knowing full well what _that_ look meant, cowered back. "Uh, oh…"

Jin raised a quizzical brow. "What's wrong, lad?"

"What's wrong, demon, is that you're a little too grabby." Used to numbskulls, Shizuru gave him a good minute to discern her warning, but Jin was quicker than she gave him credit for.

"Oh, well, lass, you know it can't be helped when a pretty wee colleen such as yer'self has - " The blue-eyed twinkle that went along with his leer gave Shizuru all the permission she needed.

Curling her left hand over his wrist in a coy manner, Shizuru used it to jerk the youkai off-balance as she applied a good, solid punch with her right. That was satisfying, as was his startled yelp as she neatly let go of his hand and belted him one in the stomach. He doubled over with a wheeze, and she managed a good knee to the nose. That crunch was definitely sweet, as was the follow-up punch to his left eye that finally laid his ass out.

"Oh, my." Botan was suitably impressed, and she'd witnessed Shizuru in action before.

"That doesn't describe it," Kagome said, her eyes dancing at the thorough ass-kicking the tall girl had just dished out.

"Damn," Inuyasha and Kouga voiced together, turning new respect on Kuwabara's older sister.

Kagome's little brother Shouta said fervently, "That was _cool_."

"Aw, sis, did you have to be so rough on the guy?" Kuwabara complained, bending over to see if Jin was all right.

The youkai stared up at the sky, the wind thoroughly knocked out of him. Two black eyes were already flowering around his wide eyes and a trickle of blood was snaking down from his broken nose.

"You okay, Jin?" Kuwabara asked in complete sympathy.

"I think I'm in love," the demon said wonderingly.

"You and everyone else, buddy." Shizuru absently flipped her hair over her shoulder as she idly lit a cigarette. "Come on, Kazuma, before I have to kick your ass, too."

She gave an airy half-wave to the others, Kuwabara dutifully following.

Behind her, Jin's eyes were shining.


	48. Chapter 48

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

_A/N: __Again, words in bold are taken directly from the animated version of "Yu Yu Hakusho" and are not mine. I want to thank everyone for supporting this little project of mine. Seriously, your reviews have been both inspiring and humbling. This chapter is short, and the epilogue shorter still, but I am also putting up the first chapter of the sequel. WOOT! _

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA!

_**Chapter Forty-Seven**_

Skunk was _not_ happy to see her companions. He made his displeasure known by growling at Hiei, who glared back at the little demon, silently daring him to try.

"Don't worry," Kurama said, eying the skunk with amusement as Sango vainly tried to console him. "He'll get used to it in time."

"Or he can fling himself off the nearest short cliff," Hiei sneered. Sango glared at him, riled by his intense dislike of her little friend. But as the feeling was mutual, she could hardly fault either their jealousy. It was funny, in its own way.

"You'll both just have to learn how to live with each other," she said firmly. Skunk wrinkled his nose at the idea, but finally quit growling. Hiei only looked away with one of his typical "Hn's" of indifference.

Sango shared a secret smile with Kurama, and went to change in the bathroom. She was still a little shy dressing in front of both demons, let alone Skunk. It felt good to have on jeans and a comfortable T-shirt again. Emerging from the bathroom, she absently zipped her blue hoodie up to hide the distinct scar that lay just above her breasts, but Kurama's fingers suddenly stayed hers. Startled, she blinked up at him, and he said softly, "You have nothing to hide, Sango."

She flushed even as Hiei snapped, "What are you talking about, fox? I don't want just any demon ogling her breasts."

Kurama closed his eyes. "That's hardly the point, Hiei."

"It's not? Then why don't you enlighten me as to what is?"

"Sango has no need to hide her scars."

"Scars?" The apparition's red eyes shot to hers, comprehension dawning, and Sango scowled. This was not something she was willing to compromise on, damn it!

Stepping away from Kurama, she deliberately zipped her hoodie up, saying sharply, "It's ugly."

"It's honorable," Hiei snapped.

"It's _you_," Kurama replied, more considerate than the impatient fire demon. "It's a part of you, and we love them…you…just exactly the way you are."

"Then let me do as I want," she replied, more shrewish than she'd intended. "It's my body."

"Wrong," Hiei said, summarily settling the argument by removing the disputed garment. Taken by surprise, Sango fought to keep her hoodie on as Hiei used his unnatural speed and strength to wrestle it off of her.

"Hiei!" she yelped, as he threw it in the corner of the room. He only glared.

"If I have to suffer other demons gawking at your breasts for Kurama's stupid aggrandizement, than you have to suffer them gawking at your stupid spider tattoo."

"It's not a tattoo," she snapped, glaring at Kurama, who appeared rather smug that the fire demon was taking his side.

"It's unimportant," Hiei snapped back, and ended the argument by opening the door and slinging her bag over his shoulder.

"Damn demons," she growled, still angry at their ganging up on her. Skunk only grinned toothily before hopping down to follow them out. Kurama took her arm, ignoring her stiffness, and used the same silent apology she had used earlier on Hiei by slipping his warm palm inside of hers.

"It'll be all right," he whispered reassuringly, and the gentleness in it made her anger melt.

At least, _this_ time.

ooOOOoo

It was pretty funny, though, that the chilly night air eventually settled the argument in her favor. A cold front had moved in during the day, bringing a drop in the mild April temperatures so that it felt more like March. Shivering in her thin T-shirt, Sango was startled when Hiei roughly draped his coat over her shoulders, growling something about nipples that made her blush so hard Kurama let out a surprised laugh.

Still, Sango triumphed in the end, buttoning the coat up to her chin. Kurama shook his head, knowing full well what she was doing, but unable to protest as they finally reached the stadium. The arena was jam-packed, and they had to worm their way through excited crowds until Hiei's icy stare magically cleared a path for them to dubious seats in the eighteenth row. Tonight's roster included their friend Yusuke, going up against the formidable King Yomi. Or rather, the _former_ King Yomi - for the whole tournament had been built on the agreement that Yomi and Mukuro lay down their lands and titles in favor of the winner of this tourney.

Tonight's round would be a deciding factor, as most of the lesser demons were now out of the running. Koto's strident voice entertained the growing crowds as the expectant audience settled into their seats, reminding them that this was where it _really_ got good, as the fights slated for tonight were going to get down and dirty. Rumors buzzed as the pairs were announced, and Sango wondered how Koku and Enki would fare against one another. She knew Koku, at least, would have no compunctions when it came to beating the crap out of her husband. But could even Koku stand up to the formidable red brute?

It would be the first time Mukuro faced off with one of Raizen's group, and Sango wondered who would best who, as Natsume was no feather-weight. The fourth fight, between Shuu and Suiketsu, would pit the friends against each other. The two hardened fighters didn't seemed fazed by the fact, but rather looked as if they relished the idea as they took their places.

"Okay, folks, tonight promises to be one for the history books!" Koto bounced onto the stage, one arm extended to egg on the roar that enveloped the stadium at her appearance. "As we pit fighter against fighter in a contest to the death, the winner to take all Makai as the prize!"

The crowd surged to its feet, screaming and chanting their signature, "Bring on the blood!" in complete approval. Wary of the stomping feet around them, Skunk sprang to Sango's shoulder. She felt his claws digging through Hiei's coat to keep his precarious seat as Kurama and Hiei carefully positioned themselves on either side of her. Sango, for once, was glad of it, as the crowd's growing eagerness caused them to push and jostle against each other as they strained to see the big screen behind Koto.

Although Sango spotted some of their friends - Chuu's distinctive blue mohawk being too bright to miss - she knew there was no way they could make their way through the massive crowds lining even the stairwells to get a peek at the action. She managed to wave, and catch sight of Touya and even Lord Tenga - elegant as always with his beloved Jueru by his side, having snagged prime seats in the center floor. She couldn't see Sazuka or Shishi, and wondered where Jin was, since the ebullient wind demon was normally never far from his best friend and former shinobi brother, Touya.

But those idle musings dropped away as the screen magnified on each okininju stalk. The aura pouring off of each fighter was palpable, the surge in their awakened jyaki almost shimmering in the air around them as they waited for the signal to begin. Sango's breath caught as Yusuke leapt to the ring, Yomi calmly stepping across from him. The blind demon towered over Yusuke, whose signature smirk made Sango's heart clench as she wondered at how confident he appeared, standing so easily in front of the daunting demon lord.

"**Grab your swimsuits, folks,"** Koto called out, **"and let the bloodbath **_**begin!"**_

"She's something else," Sango muttered as Kurama smiled faintly. Cheers arose around them, naming their chosen heroes. Yusuke's name was bandied about, and Hiei raised an eloquent brow.

"That's a first," he said, folding his arms. "They're actually cheering _for_ him this time."

"Yes," Kurama agreed, "though Yomi has his own supporters." He nodded to the neatly uniformed section surrounding the former king's son, who was sitting on the edge of his seat, expression intent on the large screen below.

The crowd collectively sucked in their breath as a sudden burst of furious fuchsia energy engulfed Yusuke in radiating light.

"What is he doing, committing himself so early?" Kurama's hands fisted at his sides as Hiei growled, "Fool."

But Sango's heart lifted, seeing the brazen challenge in Yusuke's tumultuous energy. And Yomi surprised them all by answering, his powerful aura blazing up in a glittering green and white fire that matched Yusuke's. The jyaki surrounding both demons fought for dominance, physically pushing at one another until it couldn't be contained on the ground any longer, and shot straight up into the heavens in a searing pillar of livid light. The glowing column lanced up, piercing through the scattered purple clouds. The crowd was on its feet, cheering wildly as similar lights suddenly blazed from each okininju stalk as the other fighters decided to pit their all against each other as well, holding nothing back as they committed everything to this fight.

Sango was on her feet, cheering with all the rest, as she felt that exhilaration well up again inside her, that _rush_ she had experienced that day when she saw the blatant challenge rising up from Raizen's lands in a glorious beam of light to ignite her warrior's spirit with the incredible beauty of it. That same light shone from all the strange faces around her - each demon transfixed by the incredible aura as each fighter strove with the others, giving all they had into the fight and holding _nothing_ back. Throwing their all into the fray, and rising to the challenge as their very blood sang with the stentorian cry of battle.

Swept away by the freedom in it, Sango abandoned herself to the fight, her voice growing hoarse as she kept shouting, egging Yusuke on. She winced at each shattering blow Yomi landed on the boy, hollered like crazy when it was Yusuke's turn to triumph. And throughout it all, there was the awareness that _this_ was what it was all about. This moment, this fight - heck, _any_ fight. To give your all and test your strength against another worthy enough of the honor. And Yusuke - smirking, stubborn, sarcastically inspiring _Yusuke_ was the one who evoked that fierce spirit in everyone around him, embodying all that was demon and human as he used both his Mazoku heritage and his human spirit energy to create something wholly new in combination. He unleashed his energy in one last, climatic assault against his foe, who had lost his stoicism long before to grin as widely, taking as much joy and pleasure as the former Spirit Detective in this heady contest.

The final blast of their combined energy erupted with the power of a supernova, temporarily blinding everyone who watched. Gasps sprang across the stunned crowds as they wiped tears away, trying to see what had happened through the flashing lights left in their vision after that powerful burst of searing, white light.

And in the end, a single, quavering shout spoke the winner of that incredible fight, as Shouga cried out to his father, stopping Yomi at the last moment before he was about to topple over in exhaustion. And even as Yusuke fell unconscious to the ground at Yomi's feet, Sango was already elbowing her way through the bewildered crowd, determined to get to Yusuke's side, her two mates of like mind as they all turned and dashed for the exit.

Only to stop, frozen, at the last sight that greeted her at the top of the stairs.

Silver-white hair and belligerent expression. Fire-red robes and a rusty sword at one hip. Blazing yellow eyes and a stubborn set to his jaw, arms folded across his chest as he stared down at her.

"Inuyasha…" Sango whispered, eyes skidding to the left, where the dark brown eyes, so gentle and resolute, the wild black hair and familiar green-and-white outfit so unbefitting a miko in those long-ago days that she had known them. "_Kagome_."

"Sango," the miko whispered, tears already sparkling the beautiful brown eyes like scattered jewels. And suddenly, they were wrapped in each other's arms, crying and laughing. It was so familiar and yet so different, and Sango could not believe it was happening, even as Inuyasha enveloped them both in a rough hug.

"You stupid idiot," he gruffly said, tears in his eyes, too, though he tried to deny them. "Where have you been all this time, yeah?"

"Shut up, Inuyasha," Kagome sniffled, in such an achingly familiar way that Sango could only laugh and cry harder as the emotions poured out of her like a cup spilling over, for she still couldn't believe she was standing here, with them, and that it was _real!_

ooOOOoo

"That filthy dog better remove his dirty claws from my mate before I do it for him," Hiei growled, hand clamped so tight on his hilt each knuckle stood out in sharp relief.

"Wait, Hiei," Kurama stayed him, his green eyes taking in the touching reunion with compassionate knowledge. "Sango would not welcome our intrusion right now."

"I don't care, fox," Hiei replied, and elbowed his way forward.

The inu hanyou wasn't a slouch. Feeling the sudden approach of an angry fire demon, he sprang in front of the two women, his sword blazing to life in his hands as his yellow eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you?" he bellowed, matching hard stares with Hiei, who eyed the giant fang with scorn.

"Inuyasha, Hiei - " Sango's voice was rough with the tears of joy still streaking down her cheeks, but the two protagonists ignored her.

"Her mate," Hiei snarled, putting extra emphasis on the second word. "And I don't appreciate you having your claws all over her."

"Her what?" Inuyasha's bellow attracted quite the crowd.

"Oh, aye, that be a bit of what I'd not gotten a chance to yet tell you." Jin suddenly popped up from behind Sango and Kagome, and they all stared in surprise at the black-haired wolf demon standing triumphantly beside him.

"Kouga," Sango whispered, half-strangled.

He grinned, showing sharp teeth and a smug glint that had never left those light blue eyes, even in her memories.

"Where's Yusuke?" A curious, English accent demanded, before a blue-haired girl in a pretty pink kimono appeared. "Don't tell me, I missed the whole fight!"

"Botan," Kurama greeted with some warmth, and Sango stared from one to the other, wondering how they knew each other. A tiny spurt of - she refused to call it jealousy - sprang up as the beautiful young woman smiled.

"Oh, hullo there, Kurama! And is that you, Hiei? Glaring at Inuyasha? Well, isn't this one happy little family reunion! All we need now is Yusuke and Kuwabara. Oh, and Prince Koenma, of course."

"Yusuke - " Sango said, and Kagome gave her a puzzled look.

"Are you talking about Yusuke Urameshi? The former Spirit Detective?"

"Yes - he's hurt - " Sango looked over at Kurama.

"Hurt!" Botan protested, already pulling out her oar. "Kurama, Hiei, what happened?"

"As to that, well…" Kurama said apologetically, looking at Sango.

"Go," she urged. "I'll be all right. Your friend needs you right now."

"Hn. He doesn't need both of us, fox. I'll stay and make certain that little dog doesn't get too grabby again with our mate."

"_Our_ mate?" Inuyasha looked strangled, and Botan's eyes widened.

"Oh, my…"

"It's a long story…" Sango began at the bewilderment in Kagome's expression.

"But a good one!" Jin reassured, blue eyes dancing.

~FIN~


	49. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.

**THE HEART WITHIN**

Summary: She has carried vengeance in her shadowed heart for 500 years, sacrificing her self for that dream. Now, Sango just might get her chance… (IY/YYH crossover)

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR YYH CHAPTER BLACK, THE THREE KINGS SAGA

_**Epilogue**_

How could Sango explain the contentment she felt as she gazed at each of her friends, those both past and present, who had joined together with her in this wondrous place? There was so much to tell, and so much to be told.

They had spent the rest of the night relaying each of their stories and trying to understand how they all fit together inside the bigger picture. Whatever the outcome of this Demon World Tournament, whatever the results of this meeting between such two diverse species and people, she knew she had found her own happy ending.

Looking up into the eyes of her beloved - both of them - she felt such happiness that it hurt. Knowing Yusuke would be all right, seeing Inuyasha and Kagome alive and well, she could finally lay the last of her own demons to rest. A whole new world awaited them, one in which they could make their own mark. No longer separate, or alone, but all together.

Standing up, Sango murmured an excuse to Kagome as she left her best friend's side to go out to the balcony and look out across the strange world that was now her home. She could feel them follow - Hiei's presence so dark and penetrating, Kurama's so constant and soothing. They drew along either side of her, and she blindly reached out, taking their hands in hers, standing as one to greet the midnight dawning of a brand new day.

ooOOOoo

_Think this is the end? Well, it's not. New adventures await our friends in the fictitious, cross-over world of _"Phoenix Rising," _the second arc in the series. As the new king takes up his rule, the Council forms and Spirit World takes down the kakai barrier between Human and Demon World, not everyone is happy with the peace proposed between the three worlds. A new foe - from the past - arises from the East to test the fragile new kingdom. Old friends unite with new as unlikely alliances form to battle the coming darkness, but will they, can they, prevail against an undying god of ancient evil? _

_You can find out, as the first chapter has already been posted… =P_


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